Final Fantasy VII 1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own any Final Fantasy 7 characters blah blah blah.. And any lyrics or song titles used here are Copyright A.F.I./ Muse.

The door slammed shut.

"Hello?" she called. Her voice echoed through the mansion.

Nothing stirred.

She took a cautious step forward, then another, growing more confident with each one. She glanced around her, taking in her surroundings through the dim light. It was just as she remembered. A glimmer of light penetrated the entrance hall from a dusty window.

She started her search, checking all the downstairs rooms one by one.

Nothing. That left the basement and the rooms upstairs. Turning, she went back into the main hall. 

Uneasily she crept up the stairs, all too aware that the last time she'd come through here it had been crawling with monsters. Apparently, that wasn't the case now.

It was so… silent. On her own it was overwhelming. She had a wild impulse to run around, to shout, anything to break this eerie silence. But she didn't. She felt cut off from the world outside. If something happened to her here would anyone find her? Ever?

_Oh SHUT UP Tifa!_ She berated herself mentally. _Your whole point of being here is because someone else IS here, so stop trying to creep yourself out. She rolled her eyes. Great. Now you're talking to yourself. Absolutely wonderful. _

She sighed and turned left at the top of the stairs, checking the room filled with plants and the safe room first. Still nothing. Retracing her steps she entered the bedroom on the right where the passage down to the basement was found. She was fairly sure that whoever had invaded the mansion would be there.

A light had been seen here, burning all night. In the basement to be exact. 

In Tifa's opinion it was probably just Vincent brooding in the library, but the town's people weren't convinced. They were afraid. Everyone knew what had happened the last time there were people in the Shinra mansion. The town had been burned to the ground. 

It was barely a year after Sephiroth and Jenova had been destroyed and everyone knew the truth behind Shinra's lies. God, everyone knew it all. About her, her friends, every step of their journey. Debates raged for hours about Sephiroth, his motives. Was he being controlled or did he do it all out of his own free will? Personally, Tifa didn't know what to think on the matter. The man had destroyed everything that she had held dear, but she couldn't shake the feeling that maybe, just maybe, it hadn't been him behind it. Like Cloud. Just another puppet with Jenova pulling the strings.

 Jenova. To quote the over zealous mayor of Nibelheim, "Now there was a topic of endless fascination." Fascination! Well they could discuss what she was all they liked, but she was gone. And Tifa had helped to make it happen. 

She smiled at this. Saved the world. She'd helped save the world. That's why she had been the one approached by the townspeople to find out who had invaded the mansion. She was their resident saviour of the planet, after all.

She shook her head in amusement as she pressed the stone on the far wall. Time to find out who had _DARED_ to disturb the peace of Nibelheim. Her neighbours definitely were an edgy bunch these days.

She made her way down the spiralling staircase and into the room where she'd first met Vincent. Nope. If he was here then he wasn't spending the day asleep in his coffin. 

A large crash emanated from the direction of the library. She jumped in fright. So. That's where they are.

Pushing the library door open she stepped in.

Author's note:

A few words added here and there. Nothing major. Lalalala.. 


	2. A world of Violence

**Chapter 2: A World Of Violence.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters of these characters. THEY ARE SQUARESOFTS! And lyrics/song titles=AFI.**

Tifa walked cautiously into the library. Empty, except for books which were piled high in corners, and lining the bookshelves. Her eyes flew over the spines as she made her way up to the top of the room, the titles seemingly random letters and numbers. _Reference numbers for projects, probably. _

She stopped at the desk that graced the top of the room. It was clean, free of dust with opened books scattered on top and beside it. _Yup. Someone had definitely been here.      The word "Jenova" jumped at her from an open page. She leant over the desk, intent on studying the passage in more detail, her interest sparked. _

"Boo" a voice said softly behind her.

Tifa spun around, her guard coming up automatically as her eyes widened in shock. 

 Sephiroth stood in front of her, like magic, seeming to solidify from the very shadows encasing the room. Dressed head to toe in black, his silver hair framed his face carelessly, from which a pair of burning green eyes peered out.

Involuntarily she took a step back. It was dramatic, she'd give him that.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" she hissed, her fists clenching.

"Well that is the question now, isn't it? But I'd suggest you run along and not worry your pretty little head about it, Ms. Lockhart". 

"Yeah. I'll get right on that. Really."

She stepped forward , snapping her foot out, her heel connecting with his jaw. Sephiroth stumbled backwards. Tifa's fist lashed out as Sephiroth caught her arm between his wrists and flipped her over on to the ground.

Owww…

"Please, if you would just-" he started. 

Tifa rolled backwards coming up on her feet. She feinted a punch to the face. His hands came up again to block as she spun on her left foot, kicking him with her right squarely in the solar plexus and sending him crashing into the bookcase behind. He slumped to the floor.

Tifa approached him warily, relaxing when she saw that he was unconscious. She stood over him, looking for any sign of movement. Nothing. 

_What is going on? He's supposed to be dead!_ Her thoughts were flying around her head.

In the blink of an eye Sephiroth swept her feet out from under her, supporting his weight on his hands. He threw himself on top of her, pinning her body with his. With a grunt, he forced her hands to the floor.

"ENOUGH MS. LOCKHART! I understand WHY you feel the need to attack me at every opportunity but right now I do NOT have the patience for it!"

Tifa's face twisted in hatred. "What? Off to try and destroy the world again? Murder more defenceless people?!" she spat.

Something unreadable flashed through Sephiroth's eyes. Suddenly he was on his feet, his back turned to her as he stared at the wall. 

"You should leave now." He muttered.

Tifa stared at him incredulously from her place on the floor. Her mind was registering the fact that she should be dead right about now but she wasn't. The Sephiroth that haunted her nightmares would have killed her in a heartbeat. 

Slowly she got to her feet, her eyes fixated on his back. He didn't seem to breath, so still she could have mistaken him for a statue.

She didn't want to leave, didn't want to let him out of her sight for fear he might start on a killing spree or similar, but then again she didn't think she'd be able to stop him if he did. She shrugged and left the library.

**Author's note: All I'm really doing here is just re-writing things so they don't sound so terrible, so if you've already read the old version you don't *have* to read the new ones. On the other hand if you feel like doing it and telling me if it's better or not it'd be much appreciated. And if you're reading this for the first time then click on that shiny "submit review button". =)**

**Later.**


	3. I fell into yesterday

Chapter 3: I fell into yesterday.

_Disclaimer: I own NOTHING!_

Tifa stopped and stared at the town. God, she didn't feel like going back just yet. Turning, she faced the path to the Nibelheim mountains. They called to her. She needed somewhere quiet to think. To sort out her thoughts before she faced the townspeople's questions. It was still early anyway. Making her decision she moved quickly up the path, leaving the town behind her.

It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining down and she wandered the well worn mountain trails randomly, simply enjoying being up here again. She'd felt like she'd been slowly suffocating for the last year, staying in one place all on her own with nothing to do, no PURPOSE. _Yep. Definitely suffocating_. 

She wasn't travelling the world anymore, there was no great evil to fight. Trying to settle down and get on with her life after all that seemed impossible back then. In fact, it still seemed impossible now.

 The cool wind that stirred her long, chocolate brown hair made her feel like she could breathe again. She smiled, her face lighting up. She hadn't felt so refreshed, so at ease since before Cloud had left. 

_Cloud.._ Her step faltered as she felt an invisible fist clench her heart. He'd gone. He'd left her. Alone. She kicked a stone viciously. _Well why not? Why would he stay with me when he could go search for beautiful, mysterious Aeris. His love. And I was stupid enough to not see it coming. I thought.. I thought he was happy._

After the final battle with Sephiroth he'd come back to Nibelheim with her. He'd seemed content, everything had been going great and she'd finally gotten up the courage to try and move their relationship to the next level when he'd gone. He'd said he couldn't stay here without her, he'd needed to find Aeris. She half-wished there had been harsh words so she could at least hate him. But no, there had just been the need to see her, the aching honesty in his eyes when he spoke of her and told her why he couldn't stay. 

_And that had been that. God, she was positive he'd known how she felt. That was probably a factor in his going, his way of letting her down gently, without a confrontation. _

She couldn't blame him really, she'd have done it that way too. Better to be "friends" and to try and ignore her unrequited feelings.

She looked up at the entrance to the caves. While musing on the past her feet had brought her here. She paused for a moment then continued in. She needed somewhere quiet to think and she knew just where to go.

                                                            ~

She bent down and trailed her hand through the mako fountain, thinking back to the last time she'd done that...

                                                            ~

Tifa bent down, running her fingers through the cool water.

"Magic... a mysterious power..." murmured Cloud. He looked up in confusion as Sephiroth started to laugh. " Did I say somethin' funny?"

Sephiroth shook his head. "A man once told me never to use unscientific terms like 'mysterious power'! It shouldn't even be called 'magic'! I still remember how angry he was."

" Who was that?"

Sephiroth scowled in displeasure. "Hojo of Shinra, Inc.... An inexperienced man assigned to take over the work of a great scientist. He was a walking mass of complexes."

Standing up, Tifa looked down at the fountain. "A Mako fountain... So this is where the knowledge of the Ancients is."

                                                            ~

She closed her eyes.

Sephiroth. 

She still couldn't get her head around him being alive. _Cloud killed him! ... Didn't he? Ugh, this is all so confusing!_

_And why didn't he kill me? _

_He had me, and he knew it. And he let me walk away. Just like that._

But earlier, he was a stranger wearing a madman's face.

_No... not a stranger, l__ike he was when he first came to Nibelheim. A little cold, yeah, silent and dangerous, always, but not evil, not a monster. I'd have never thought him capable of murdering helpless people in cold blood! And taking pleasure in it! Like he did, barely 48 hours after I'd met him. How could someone change so completely in that short space of time? How could he go from being civil to murdering them all? Murdering her father._

The hurt was still there, still fresh after all this time. _Oh papa.._

She was there again, destined to relive it over and over. 

~

She ran to her father, cradling his lifeless body in her arms.

" Papa... Sephiroth!? Did Sephiroth do this to you?" She could feel the tears welling up inside her. 

" Sephiroth... SOLDIER... Mako Reactor... Shinra... I hate them all!"

Seeing a sword nearby she snatched it up.

Sephiroth.

Frightening rage ran through her, intoxicating her. She screamed and ran up the stairs after him. She swung at him clumsily and he turned, disarming her easily. Her terrified gaze met his cold, alien green eyes. Time seemed to stop. Staring into his eyes that moment turned into an eternity, broken suddenly by the burning pain in her chest, the force of his attack sending her careening backwards.

~

His eyes.. What she'd seen there scared her to the depths of her soul. There was no feeling. There was no one home. Sephiroth had gone and a demon had taken his place. 

In the mansion though, the stranger she'd met 5 years ago was back. Not the man who'd murdered her father, murdered Aeris. No… not him at all. As much as she tried she couldn't blame him for those deaths. Not anymore. 

* 

_Such revelations.. While understood by no one._

_When the new actor stole the show, who questioned his grace?_

*

She understood now.

Author's note: I didn't change much here either.  


	4. Attack of the butterflys

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Well, the story, but that could be debateable.  
  
Chapter 4: Attack of the butterflys  
  
Lie in the darkness, I'm slowly dragged to sleep, With nothing else to lose.  
  
Tifa woke with a start. Her body was cold and stiff from sleeping on the hard, rocky ground. She sat up and winced as her muscles screamed at her in protest. What time was it? She pushed herself to her feet and walked outside, trying to loosen her aching muscles.  
  
As she stepped out of the cave she was enveloped in velvety darkness. Aw hell,she thought. She'd slept away the entire afternoon. The monsters that roamed here grew bolder after nightfall and it was a lot more dangerous then during the day. For a moment she thought about staying in the caves for the night but she decided against it. It grew deathly cold in the mountains at night and it was a lot warmer (and safer!) back in the town. Now, she just had to get there.  
  
Her senses were on alert, looking for any monsters who thought she'd be easy prey. It hadn't reached the absolute darkness that comes after midnight but it was close. If she jogged she'd be back in the town in about 2 hours and she was loath to stay up here any longer then she had to. It was already hard enough to see in the dark as it is.  
  
She started to jog down the well-worn trail, her feet pounding on the hard ground. After she'd gotten about half way down she felt the first of the raindrops prick her bare arms. Damn schizo April weather!  
  
She picked up the pace, breaking into an all out run, hoping to escape the torrent of rain on its way to greet her. It was futile she knew, but in her jeans and string top she was definitely not dressed for this kind of weather.  
  
She heard howls in the distance. Oh could this get any worse?!  
  
Her lungs burned and her legs begged for her to rest, but she didn't dare. A blood-chilling wail split the night. She could see. something! Looming out of the darkness, charging at her. She threw herself to the left and rolled, coming up on her feet. She turned to face her attacker.  
  
It had the basic body shape of a man, but that's where the similarities ended. Its skin glowed a sickly green and instead of fingers 3 razor sharp claws grew from its hands. In a blur of speed it slashed at her and she barely dodged in time, jumping back out of range. The creature howled in frustration and came after her again. It slashed for her face this time as her arm came up, knocking away the blow. She pivoted to her right, swinging her fist into the monsters face, breaking bone as she went by. She kicked it just below the kneecap, dislocating its knee before turning again and kicking it in the face for good measure. She screamed in pain. The monster had raked its claws across her stomach, leaving 3 bloody gashes in its wake. Adrenaline pumped into her system and she turned on her heel and jumped, delivering a spinning kick that broke the creature's neck.  
  
She stumbled back and sank to the ground. Bile rose in her throat and waves of nausea wracked her body. Her head spun as she tried to examine her wounds. They were deep, but that didn't account for the nausea and dizziness. Oh the BLOODY claws must secrete poison. TERRIFIC! She had no antidotes with her, either. She fumbled in the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a potion. Lifting up the remains of her top she poured it onto her wound. Immediately the cool effects of the potion start to work and she felt better. Well enough to stand, at least. She glanced down at her midriff and winced. It wasn't healed though, not by a long shot. The rain was now coming down fast, plastering her long hair to her face and back. She was soaked to the bone.  
  
Getting to her feet she forced her body into a jog, trying to ignore the steadily worsening dizziness. Finally when she'd thought she'd reached breaking point she saw the glittering lights of Nibelheim in the distance. She sighed with relief. She knew she could make it now.  
  
She stumbled as the ground shook beneath her. Frantically she tried to keep her footing, to no avail as the rain had turned the once hard ground into churning mud. The ground she was sliding on crumbled away, sending her over the side of the path. She tumbled down the rocky slope, coming to a stop as she slammed into a tree. She lay on her back staring at the sky, completely winded.  
  
The rain continued unceasingly and her whole body was shivering uncontrollably. Her vision swam, the sky spinning wildly in front of her eyes. She shut them, trying to calm her aching head. She was so tired. The wolves howled again and her eyes snapped open. It seemed to be coming from all around her. Oh someone up there has a REALLY twisted sense of humour! She thought angrily.  
  
She had to get out of here. Fast. Using the tree as a support she pulled herself up. I'm going to have some colourful bruises in the morning. Assuming I last til morning, that is. She looked up at the path above her. She'd fallen into the forest at the foot of the mountains, so there was really no point in climbing back up to the path. She doubted she could make it in the state she was in, anyway. Best to continue on from here.  
  
She moved as fast as her body would let her through the forest. Slowly she became aware of yellow eyes watching her from the undergrowth. Wolves. They seemed to be everywhere. Gritting her teeth she tried to run. Spots clouded her vision and she sank to her knees. Ok bad idea. How the hell am I going to get out of here?! I can't outrun them and I certainly can't beat them all. Panic started to rise inside her. Get a grip Tifa! she ordered herself. You are not going to just roll over and die! She stood up and tugged her gloves more securely onto her hands. Nope, not going down without a fight. She waited for the first attack.  
  
There! To her right! A wolf leapt at her from the darkness. She waited until it had almost reached her then grabbed a hold of its shoulders, dropping to the ground as she planted her foot firmly in its torso. Using her momentum she sent it sailing over her head into a tree. An audible crack reached her ears. She'd broken its back.  
  
One down. God knows how many more to go.  
  
She got to her feet again, slipping into a fighting stance. The rain was near blinding but she could make out the figures of seven other wolves circling her warily.  
  
Another attack, from the front this time. She jumped, her foot lashing out and striking it In the head. It fell to the ground like a stone. As she landed her legs gave way and she found herself in the mud with it. All she could think about was the pain in her head and the burning in her stomach. Get up! Defend yourself! But she couldn't. Blackness swam around the edge of her vision. She pressed her fists to her eyes, waiting for the inevitable.  
  
Behind her she heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed, effectively snapping her back to reality. She looked around in surprise at her unexpected saviour. A blur of silver flashed, neatly cleaving an attacking wolf in half. "Sephiroth?" She exclaimed weakly. He looked at her, his eyes blank, betraying nothing. He turned, his sword flashing out again and opening a wolf's throat. Tifa slowly got to her feet, trying to get out of his way, if nothing else. Thrusting his sword behind him he impaled a wolf in mid jump. He fought like he was possessed, killing 2 more wolves before turning to her.  
  
"Are you alright?" Before she could reply she heard a soft noise behind her. She'd half turned when the last wolf pounced on her, driving her into the mud. Paws pressed heavily on her chest as the wolf snapped at her savagely. Reaching up she grabbed its head in her hands and snapped its neck. With the last of her strength she pushed the limp body of the wolf off of her.  
  
The last thing she saw before slipping into unconsciousness was Sephiroth bending over her. If she didn't know any better she'd have thought it was concern she saw in those piercing green eyes.  
  
Author's note: I can't remember if I rewrote this or not. I think I did. 


	5. No one is who we know

Chapter 5: No one is who we know.  
  
Disclaimer: I own not one little hair on A.F.I.'s collective heads nor do I own anything from FF7.  
  
Tifa groaned and rolled over, squinting against the bright light that was invading the room. Hold on a second. room? Where the hell am I?! Slowly bits and pieces of last night's events came back to her. Sephiroth.  
  
She sat up quickly, an involuntary moan of pain escaping her lips as her injured abdomen made its presence felt. Stiffly she swung her legs to the side of the bed and stood up. Her head felt like it had been wrapped in cotton wool. She lifted up her t-shirt and examined her wound. It was covered in a white bandage. That's new. as is this t-shirt. Where are my clothes?! She looked down, realising that she was clad only in a long t- shirt. She went bright red. Sephiroth must have. Aw hell..  
  
Just then the object of her thoughts walked in. "What are you doing out of bed?!" He exclaimed in annoyance. "Funnily enough I'm not one to stay put after waking up in a strange place in someone else's clothes" she snapped back. "You're in the mansion and I had to get you out of those clothes because they were soaking and I needed to look at your wound" He blushed. "Besides, you were poisoned" he finished hurriedly.  
  
"Really? I had no idea." Her voice dripped with sarcasm. He shook his head. "You need to rest." He turned and left closing the door with a bang.  
  
Almost immediately Tifa felt guilty. The guy had just saved her life and her way of repaying him was to turn into super bitch. She sat back down on the bed. She supposed it was because this whole thing had thrown her off balance.  
  
Sephiroth was looking after her and she couldn't even begin to fathom why. That wasn't an excuse though. She definitely owed an apology. Just maybe after the room stopped moving out of its own accord. She groaned, the effects of the poison must still be in her system. Ok, apology later. She lay back down on the bed and shut her eyes. - Sephiroth pushed open the door to his bedroom. That woman was so bloody ungrateful! Not being able to leave the mansion in the day he tended to go for walks at night, hearing sounds of battle he'd rushed into the forest, intent on helping whichever poor soul had fallen afoul of the wolves. He didn't remember ever caring so much about what happened to anyone else, but hey, returning from being a mindless lunatic will do that to you. What the hell had she been doing up there at night anyway?! She should know better then anyone how dangerous those mountains were at night. Even for someone of her skill. He was well aware she could handle herself in a fight (he'd been on the receiving end of those kicks often enough!) but there was only so much one fighter could do before being overwhelmed by sheer numbers. Frankly he was surprised she'd lasted that long, poisoned too.  
  
He'd had no antidotes so he'd spent the night watching her as she fought the poison. In case she'd gotten worse. God I'm tired... I need a shower too. Well that's something he could take care of right now. He stood up and headed to the bathroom.  
  
-  
  
Alright, the room is staying in one place. This is good. So now, it's swallow your pride time Tifa. Getting out of the bed she spotted her jeans folded neatly in the corner next to her boots. Her top was gone though, probably shredded beyond all recognition. Mmm, they're nice and warm. How'd he dry them so fast?  
  
As she was pulling on her jeans she heard muffled cursing from the next room. She laced up her boots and stood up. Well no time like the present.  
  
As she left the room she noted that she was on the ground floor of the mansion. More curses met her ears. What is he doing? She wondered. She tip toed to the door, which was ajar and looked in.  
  
He was sitting on the bed with his back to her trying unsuccessfully to force a brush through his tangled, wet hair.  
  
"Oh I give up!" he exclaimed in frustration as he hurled the brush over the other side of the room.  
  
She giggled. It was so cute!  
  
"Now now, what did the poor defenceless brush ever do to you?" she quipped from her place in the doorway. He turned around and glared at her. "Was there something that you wanted?" Instead of answering, Tifa made her way across the room and picked up the brush. She turned and sat down on the bed beside him. He watched her with narrowed eyes. "What are you doing?" "Brushing your hair seeing as you can't manage it yourself" she answered. He sat stiffly, letting her work her way through the tangles, very aware of her next to him. Finishing with one section she moved it out of her way, her hands touching his neck as she did so. He jumped, her touch sending tingles all the way down his spine. What the hell was wrong with him?! "Sorry" she mumbled. He didn't respond. She continued working in silence. After a while. "Sephiroth?" "Mmm?" "Thank you. For saving my life." His eyes widened. He hadn't expected that. "Eh, you're welcome" he answered. "There" she said, putting the brush down. Absentmindedly she ran her fingers through his hair. It was so soft. And she loved the colour of it. Silver, like the stars. It was gorgeous. He turned his head, letting his hair fall across his face as he peered through it.. She let her hand fall from his hair. " You have. you have nice hair" she finished lamely. Inwardly he smiled. "So do you." He started rummaging through a dresser next to the bed. Her eyes were drawn to his torso out of their own accord. Woah... He was nicely muscled, but not too much of a good thing. Definitely the most aesthetically pleasing body she'd ever had the pleasure of laying eyes on. Not that she'd seen many guys with their tops off but you know. He was definitely one up on Cloud. AH! Did I just think that? And I'm staring too! Hastily she lowered her gaze to the floor as Sephiroth pulled on a black t-shirt.  
  
"Are you alright?" he said to her concernedly. "You look a little bit flushed. Maybe you haven't recovered from the poison completely." "No I'm grand. Fine. Absolutely wonderful!" she babbled. It was true too, she felt a lot better. He looked at her strangely. And now, he thinks I'm a lunatic.  
  
"What were you doing in the mountains so late? It's dangerous. I'd expect you to know that it's crawling with monsters at night! You could have caught your death of cold, too!" "I didn't mean to be!" And why do you care anyway? She added silently. "I went up there in the daytime and ended up falling asleep. And being attacked by something that looked like it had escaped from the reactor. And falling off the path.And then being attacked by wolves. And how was I to know that it would start lashing the minute I'm in an inconvenient spot?!" Oh great, you're babbling again. He arched his eyebrows. "Falling off the path?" "Well not so much falling off as falling with when the ground decided to give way under me." "Oh. Rough night then." "Yep." He sat down next to her. "You said you were attacked by a creature from the reactor? The ones encased in the pods? And it did this?" He ran his fingers lightly over the wound. "Uhuh" she said, looking up into his eyes. He had such pretty eyes too. Green but with hints of blue. Abruptly he turned away. She stared after him, her brain relearning how to work. Damn damn damn! I need to stop doing this.  
  
"Uh. how. why are you here?" she said quickly to cover up her embarrassment. Ohhh that was smooth Tifa, real smooth. And not blunt and insensitive in any way, shape or form.  
  
" I don't know. I woke up in the Northern crater about 6 months ago. And for the first time there was no voice in my head. When I tried to move my hands I could. I was me again. And then, I remembered what I'd done".  
  
She could see the turmoil in his eyes. "I suppose the combined efforts of Hojo and Jenova was enough to keep me alive. After all I've done I deserve to be dead. But I'm not." " No you don't. It was Jenova. Not you" She found herself saying. Where the hell had that come from? "I remember Cloud was able to resist her eventually. He beat her. I didn't. That is my fault. When she first spoke to me I didn't resist. And consequently everything I've done since then is my fault." Tifa stared at her hands. She didn't know what to say. She felt like she needed to say something though, anything to help him. She hated seeing anyone tortured like this. She couldn't bear it. It was the same problem she had with Vincent. They were both trying to repent for someone else's sins. "Why did you come here?" " To learn. I wanted to know everything about Jenova. And about everything that had been done to me. I need to finish learning what I started here years ago". "Oh." Silence followed. "Um. well the townspeople know that someone's here. I was sent to investigate". He said nothing. "But I won't tell them." She pressed on. "I don't think they'd be too understanding." He nodded. "Thank you". She smiled. "Don't mention it! I'm the one who should be thanking you over and over." She paused. "And apologising." "Oh? For what?" "For what I said earlier. I was out of line." "Don't worry about it" he said dismissively. She smiled at him again. "Hey, you hungry?" "A little bit, but there's nothing to eat here." She thought for a moment. "Come to my house then. I'm starving and I'm not going to leave you here to waste away." He looked at her hesitantly. "What if someone sees me?" He questioned.  
  
In response she turned her attention to the wardrobe that was resting on the far wall. She opened it and looked inside. "Here we go!" she said, coming out with a black hat with a wide brim. She stood on tiptoe and put it on his head. She grinned at his appearance. "Perfect! Now get your cloak and we're set."  
  
Author's note: This chapter doesn't make me cringe that much anymore. Which is a good thing. See? I've been writing and not sitting around reacquainting myself with re-runs of Buffy. Honest! And chapter 11 will totally be up soon. Yup. 


	6. Are all my thoughts of you?

_Disclaimer: Squaresoft owns FF7. Evanescence and A.F.I. own their pretty lyrics. I own this can of coke next to the keyboard. And now that that's cleared up…_

Chapter 6: Are all my thoughts of you?

Tifa waited impatiently as Sephiroth pulled on his boots and wrapped his cloak around himself. Finally, he stood up, but instead of heading to the front door where Tifa was waiting he went back into the room where she'd spent the night. A moment later he emerged with her gloves in his hands. He tossed them over to her.

"I don't want to bring my sword as it'd arouse suspicion but I'd feel better if one of us were armed."

Tifa rolled her eyes. "Sephiroth we're going to get breakfast, last time I checked that wasn't high on the danger scale."

" All the same I'd rather if you had your gloves." He grinned at her slyly. " I'd rather not have to spend my time rescuing you if something goes amiss."

Tifa's eyebrows shot up. "Rescue me?! I'll have you know I'm not some helpless damsel in distress who faints at the first sign of violence! And I don't need my gloves to be able to defend myself! I'm a martial artist, or were you too busy being blinded by your shining armour to notice?" 

She huffily pulled open the door and left the mansion, not caring if he was following or not. She knew he was teasing her, and that was surreal in it's self. But it still bugged her that he was insinuating she needed him to rescue her. MEN! They were all alike!

Sephiroth laughed softly, she was so easy to wind up! He liked the fact that she was so passionate though. She was strong willed, wouldn't bow down to anyone. 

He caught up with her easily and let out an exaggerated sigh. 

"I'm so very very sorry. I'm well aware of your fighting prowess, Ms. Lockhart." 

"Hmmph, well don't you forget it. And it's Tifa ok? Ms. Lockhart is far too formal."

"Of course… Tifa" She had the feeling he was laughing at her silently behind those glowing eyes, but she ignored it. Instead she smiled and turned her face upwards to meet the sun as it shone down. The sky was clear and blue with no hint of the torrential rain of yesterday. It was such a lovely morning, full of the quiet peacefulness that only occurs very early before it was shattered by people starting their day. She felt quite rested, even though she must have only slept a couple of hours. 

Walking along, Sephiroth watched her from beneath the shadow of his hat, noting the way the sun's rays picked out hidden blondes and reds in her dark hair. The effect was startling. She seemed so alive, surrounded by a mass of colour. He studied her admiringly, taking in her flawless ivory coloured skin and her eyes, the colour of burnt coffee with hints of wine surrounding the pupils, all framed by long, thick lashes. They were definitely her best feature he decided. 

Just then she turned and met his gaze curiously. He looked away, realising he had been staring. 

"Which one is your house?" he said quickly, suddenly aware that they were on a street with rows of houses on both sides.

"This one here." She turned left up a path that led to a large, two storey house. 

It looked vaguely familiar to Sephiroth. It was the Shinra copy they'd made after he had… He shook his head. It was far too big for one person.

"Do you live here alone?"

"Yes" Tifa answered, busy trying to find her key in her pockets. He frowned, that was strange considering Avalanche had been such a close-knit group. _How could they all go off and leave her alone like this?_

"Where are the others now?" A thought occurred to him. "Where's Cloud?" Tifa stiffened, then slowly looked up at him.

"Barret is with his daughter in Kalm. Cid, Yuffie and Nanaki all went back to their respective hometowns. I don't know where Vincent is, though he'd be very interested in meeting you. Reeve is working on rebuilding Midgar." She stopped. 

"And Cloud?" he pressed. 

Her mouth twisted. " He's left me for the gravestone crumbling behind". He looked at her in confusion.

"What?" 

"Aeris! He's gone to look for Aeris!" 

"Oh."

 She turned away, not quite managing to hide the hurt in her eyes. Key in hand she opened the door and went inside. He stared after her a moment before entering the house as well. He shut the door softly behind him and looked around. He was standing in a hallway with a door in front of him and stairs to the right.  He pushed open the door and saw Tifa sitting at a table in what looked like a kitchen, holding her head in her hands. She looked up as he came in and attempted to smile cheerfully. 

"So, what do you feel like having?" Sephiroth felt compassion surge through him, something he'd not felt in a long time. Instead of answering he sat down opposite her. 

"Cloud is a fool" he said hoarsely.  

She stared at him in shock. _Did he just say what I think he said? "I…I don't know what you mean." She stood up and opened the fridge, agitated. "Umm… We have eggs?" _

"Whatever you are having will be fine." He didn't know what had come over him and slipped back into his polite mask._ Saying Cloud was a fool? What did I mean?  _

He was disturbed as he watched her take a tray of eggs out of the fridge and put them on the counter, along with milk and butter. She was looking for salt in a cabinet above the counter when another wave of dizziness hit her. One hand went instinctively to her head as she swayed and the other reached out for something to steady herself with. Sephiroth's hand enclosed hers. _How the hell does he move so fast?_

"Are you alright?" he said, concerned. "I'm fine" she snapped, wrenching her hand from his. She saw the hurt in his eyes, saw them turn cold, but she didn't care. _Why does he have to be there all the time? Looking over my shoulder?! _Her hands found the edge of the counter top and she squeezed, her knuckles turning white as she waited for the dizziness to subside.

"You're still hurt. Go lie down, I'll make the food." She opened her mouth to protest but she didn't get a chance. "NOW Tifa!"

She closed her mouth and set it in a straight line. Turning, she left the room without a word. Seething, she started up the stairs. _ How dare he shout orders at me in my own home? He was turning back into the Great General Sephiroth. Well I'm not one of his soldiers!  She entered her room and then slammed the door with as much strength as she could muster, venting her anger as the noise resonated through out the house. She strode over to a set of drawers in the corner of the room and yanked open the top drawer. Pushing aside the assorted materia she reached for the bottles clustered at the back and picked out an antidote. She downed it. _There._ She shut the drawer and glanced down at herself. _

_Gotta get out of these clothes!_ She pulled off the t-shirt and jeans violently, still livid. Crossing the room she opened the wardrobe and pulled out the first things her hands touched. She definitely didn't feel like making in depth clothing decisions just now. She turned, clutching a skirt and top to her and caught sight of herself in the mirror. Slowly she let the clothes drop to the floor. Her hand traced the scar that ran her collarbone to just below her right breast. The man downstairs had given it to her, caused her so much pain and he was still doing it! _Why did he have to bring up Cloud? Have to keep pushing?! And then acting all concerned. If he were really gave a damn then he shouldn't have brought it up in the first place! _

_But that wasn't right… How was he supposed too know in the first place? It was natural he'd want to know where Cloud was. Wasn't his fault that asking about him made her think about him and thinking about him… Oh god… All I wanted to say was I love you._

_No, Sephiroth didn't cause her this pain, Cloud did. Pain beyond belief._ Tears welled up in her eyes as she felt the familiar ache in her heart get worse. She walked slowly to her bed as if in a trance and curled up underneath the covers.

                                      -

Sephiroth watched as she left the kitchen. He could practically feel the anger emanating from her. 

Why had she turned on him? She was so hostile! Her rebuke still stung him, the memory of how she'd pulled her hand from his still fresh in his mind. As if she couldn't bear to have him touch her. It bothered him a lot more then he wanted to admit.

He'd felt himself opening up to her after only being in her presence for a few short hours. She'd brought out someone in him he'd thought gone.  He'd revelled in the contact with someone who didn't fear or hate him. Not now, at least.

                                      ~

"_After all I've done I deserve to be dead. But I'm not."_

_" No you don't. It was Jenova. Not you"_

                                      ~

He knew he had no right to ask for forgiveness but he'd at least thought that she knew he wasn't under Jenova's control now. He wasn't the person who'd hurt her, not anymore.

But… his words rang in his mind. _"Where's Cloud?" _

Bringing him up, he'd seen the pain in her eyes… But he hadn't meant to! He didn't know she was going to react like that!

Above him he heard a door slam with a crash. He scowled. _Well fine! If that's the way she wanted it, then fine! He'd make the damn food and then get out of here. Leave her to mourn after that spikey haired idiot! What does she see in him anyway? He's so blinded by that Ancient that he doesn't even know what he has right in front of him! He shook his head. _What do I care?__

He threw the milk, eggs and butter into a pan he'd found beside her cooker. While he waited for it to cook he got some plates from a press beneath the counter. He buttered some bread and divided out the eggs. Grabbing a knife and fork he left his plate on the counter and took hers, making his way up to her room. 

Holding the plate in one hand he lifted the other to knock and paused, listening. He could hear her crying. Sobbing like her heart would break. Or if it were already broken. His throat constricted, his resolution to leave after giving her her food slowly slipping away. He wanted to go in there and help her, hold her, anything to make her stop crying like that but he was afraid of how she'd react. He wasn't her favourite person right now. 

"Tifa?" The crying stopped immediately. 

"W-what?" She tried unsuccessfully to stop her voice from cracking. _How long had he been standing there?_

"I've got your food here, I'll leave it outside the door" He placed her plate on the floor and headed back downstairs to wait, however long it takes, until she felt like talking to him.

_Author's note: Yeah. When I said I'd write it on Wednesday I REALLY meant Sunday. Really. I probably won't get the next chapter done for a week or so because I'm stuck with things like music grades and graduation nights all this week. Ick. _

Um… yeah. I didn't actually mean for this chapter to turn out like this but it did. But I like it. I blame it on Evanescence and their influence on me. Great band. 

_Oh and thanks so much for the reviews! Yay! And I am trying to make the chapters longer. Anyways… Read and review, I have an English essay to do. Hey, that rhymes!_


	7. I love you forever

***Insert boring mandatory disclaimer here***

**Chapter 7- I love you forever**

**_I love you forever,_**

**_ 'til death do us part._**

**_Forever is over, forever is over. _**

it's over, it's over, it ended on that night...

_-Tiger Army, True Romance._

Tifa lay on her bed for god knows how long, just staring up at the ceiling. Not seeing it exactly, instead looking past it, looking to a certain spikey haired individual. 

Talking to him in her head.****

_I've stayed by your side long enough, unnoticed, now it's time to move on. Take ME back. I'm not doing this to myself anymore. _

**_Did anyone tell you she's not breathing? Hello?_**

_If you want to waste your life longing after something that will never be then that's fine with me, but I've been there, done that and god knows I deserve the t-shirt! This is where it stops for me. _

She took a deep breath, feeling it cleanse her and sat up, pushing the covers off her. Getting out of the bed she stretched before walking to the clothes she'd discarded on the floor earlier. She picked up a light denim skirt and a white sleeveless top from where she'd dropped them and put them on. She tossed her old jeans and Sephiroth's t-shirt into her laundry basket before leaving for the bathroom. 

Walking to the sink she turned on the tap and splashed cool water onto her face. Turning off the tap she reached for a towel, patting her face dry before picking up her hairbrush and running it through her hair, attempting to ease out the tangles. This done she put down the brush and studied her reflection.

A stranger stared back at her. Oh it was her all right, same dark hair, same faded rose lips, same creamy coloured skin. But her eyes… They were different. No longer did they hold a look of aching longing for something she couldn't have, instead they held resolve. Resolve not to waste away her life here. And resolve to not waste away her life waiting for Cloud. She smiled at her reflection. A real smile, one for her, not the sickeningly optimistic one she reserved for cheering up the others. 

And it felt good. 

Still smiling she left the bathroom and walked downstairs, picking up the plate outside her door as she went. Entering the kitchen she was struck with the realisation that he wasn't there. There was his plate, washed and left to dry on the draining board. 

But no Sephiroth.

 She felt panic rise in her at the thought of him being gone. She frowned as she emptied the contents of her plate into the rubbish bin. It was a long time cold by now and right now she just didn't feel like eating.  She was being irrational, she knew. _Just because he wasn't in the kitchen didn't mean he'd gone… Right?_

She was positive she hadn't heard him come back upstairs so that left only one place. Walking past the fridge she pushed open a half-hidden door in the corner.

 Stepping outside her eyes scanned the expanse of the garden, an involuntary sigh of relief escaping her lips when she saw him sitting with his back against a tree, his head resting against the trunk and his eyes shut. 

Softly she walked up to him, for the first time noting the dark shadows under his eyes. He looked totally wiped. 

She entertained the idea of waking him up and offering him her bed but she was reluctant to do so. She didn't want to disturb him when he looked so… at peace. The haunted look that constantly overshadowed his features during his waking hours had left and she was loath to see it return. 

Her gaze took in his perfectly sculpted cheekbones, her eyes lingering on the soft curve of his mouth. _He really is breath taking to look at… Utterly perfect._ She found it hard to believe that Hojo had a part in creating something so beautiful. Though she'd gotten the impression from Vincent that things had gone far enough with Lucrecia to call Sephiroth's true parentage into question. She dismissed that thought almost as quickly as she'd thought it. That was for Sephiroth, Lucrecia and Vincent to know, not her. 

Maybe I could take him to meet them though? Sort of a payment for saving my life. I know I'd love to meet my real mother if I were him. And Vincent. Out of the group he'd be the most accepting of Sephiroth. And they might know some of the answers to the questions he undoubtedly has._ Mmm.., I'll talk to him about it when he wakes._

Spotting his cape and hat on the ground beside him she picked them up, draping them over a stray branch. Her hand reached out automatically to steady the punching bag she'd hung here, her fingers coming away wet from the still soaking tarp she'd covered it with. Not wanting to touch the other bedroom she'd set up a training area in this garden. It certainly was big enough for it. A wooden "horse" stood near the back, also covered in waterproof tarp, with wooden boards stacked neatly beside it. 

She'd filled the borders with all her favourite flowers, roses, tulips, lilys, leaving a large area in the middle bare of anything except grass. She loved it out here, it wasn't just a training area it was a sanctuary. The mere sight of the flowers always cheered her up.

Glancing down at Sephiroth she recalled her meeting with him in the library. It seemed an age ago, though in reality it hadn't even been 24 hours. She could already feel herself growing accustomed to his presence. _And why not? He was good company, intelligent, sensitive, with a sense of humour. Am I the only one who's met this Sephiroth? It was possible, he hadn't exactly had an idyllic time with Shinra._ She doubted he'd had much of a chance to open up to anyone. An image of Hojo standing over his shoulder making sure his precious experiment performed to the best of his ability came unbidden to her mind. 

A surge of white hot anger ran through her._ How could anyone have stood by and let him be used like that? Treating him as a guinea pig even before he was born! _The very idea made her sick. 

She knelt down and touched his face tenderly. His eyes fluttered open at her touch, before focusing on her in bewilderment. She jerked away, losing her balance as she did so and ending up sprawled on the grass. Mentally, she cursed. 

"Tifa?"

"Um… you looked a little uncomfortable, I thought I'd wake you up and offer you a bed_." I'm getting quite good at covering up, if I do say so myself she thought, ruefully. _

Seemingly satisfied he nodded before standing up gracefully and retrieving his hat and cloak from where she'd hung them.  She watched, mesmerised. He reminded her so much of a jungle cat, all lightening quick grace, barely contained power radiating from his every movement. Extending his hand to her she gasped as he half-pulled half-lifted her to her feet. 

He narrowed his eyes. "What?"

"Nothing… you're just strong, that's all… Incredibly strong." 

"Yes, well you have Hojo and Jenova to thank for that."

"Oh." She paused. "It must have been terrible for you."

"Yes." He changed the subject quickly, not wishing to talk about this. "I'm sorry for upsetting you earlier. I didn't realise." 

She waved him away dismissively. "It's fine. I'm over it. I'm sorry for behaving like such a brat." She laughed. "All we seem to do is apologise to each other! Come on and I'll show you where you can sleep." 

He followed her back into the house. 

"I hope you don't mind if I put you in my bed, I don't like going near my parent's… Cloud's room" she murmured apologetically as they climbed the stairs. 

"No, it's fine. I won't inconvenience you for long."  She pushed open the door to her room and led him in.  
"Oh please, it's fine! Really. Now I've got to go talk to the town's representative. I won't be gone long." She paused, her hand on the door handle. "Sephiroth?"

"Yes?"

She smiled at him. "Sweet dreams." Shutting the door behind her she left the house. 

He watched her go, than sat down on the bed, dragging off his boots and t-shirt and placing them on the floor, next to his hat and cloak. He snuggled back against the pillows, pulling the covers up as he waited for sleep to overtake him.

                                                ~

Tifa raised her hand and rapped on the door with her knuckles. Almost immediately the door opened, revealing a stout, round cheerful man who smiled at her warmly, his eyes twinkling behind coke bottle glasses. 

"Ah Tifa! Come in come in! I trust everything went well?"

"Hello Martin" she stepped into the hallway.

"Come and sit down and tell me all about it!" he gestured in the direction of his sitting room. "I have to admit, I was a little worried when you didn't check in yesterday." She followed him into the room and made herself at home on an overstuffed sofa. 

"I'm sorry about that, after checking out the mansion I went for a walk in the mountains. By the time I got back it was far too late to bother you."

"Nonsense my dear! You're welcome at anytime of the day OR night!" His expression turned serious. "But come, tell me about the mansion." 

"Ah yes… Well… there's nothing to worry about. Um… it was just an old friend from my AVALANCE days. He'd left something of his there. But he's staying with me now. So nothing out of the ordinary. Nope!" She fidgeted in her seat. She felt uncomfortable about lying to him. He was the only person she really could call a friend here. 

He peered at her over the top of his glasses. "Old friend hmm? This Vincent chap then?" 

"No actually, just someone I knew a couple of years ago. He won't cause any trouble, I assure you."

"Well I trust you Tifa and if you say so then I have no reason to disbelieve you. Thank you for looking into this matter for us." He stood up and shook her hand. "Maybe we could meet this mysterious friend of yours sometime, hmm?"

"Ah no, I don't think so, he's not really the sociable type. He shouldn't be staying here long anyway."

"Leaving soon is he? And I'm sure when he goes you'll be going with him?" She nodded faintly in surprise. "Nice to see you're moving on from that Cloud fellow! I always thought he wasn't good enough for you! Let's hope this new fellow is up to scratch eh?" Tifa flushed bright red. 

" Maybe. I better be going. It was nice to see you!" With that she practically dashed out of the house. 

She walked along the street, staring at the cobblestones. She found them very interesting right now as she tried to stop herself from thinking about what Martin had said. 

And the fact that she was half wishing that his assessment of the situation were true. 

Looking up she realised she was in the town square. She spared a glance for the water tower before entering a small, all-purpose shop near her. She came out a second later carrying a newspaper. It was getting on time wise so she decided to head back to the house. 

                                       ~

Letting herself in she set off for the kitchen. While she hadn't been hungry before, she was certainly feeling hungry now. She tossed her newspaper onto the table before filling up the kettle with water and putting it on to boil. It was high time for coffee. _A caffeine addict and proud of it!_ She thought idly. Grabbing some bread from a nearby breadbin she placed it under the grill. She retrieved a plate and cup and took a jar of coffee from a cub-board. She spooned it liberally into her cup while waiting for the kettle to boil, before adding milk and water._ No sugar. Sugar in coffee is just fundamentally wrong. _

Realising that the toast was done she removed it from the grill and started to butter it. Grabbing her coffee and toast she sat down at the table, settling herself back comfortably as she picked up the newspaper and started to read, munching on her toast.

                                                ~

Sephiroth rolled over and rubbed his eyes. He sat up languidly and stretched, immediately feeling more awake. He got out of bed and picked up his t-shirt from the ground, pulling it on over his head. Brushing his hair out of his eyes he looked at the clock on the far wall. It read 3 o'clock. _I've been asleep for a good few hours then. _

He looked around, taking in his surroundings. _She was neat, I'll give her that._ It was a typical bedroom, the only thing of interest being a piano that rested against the wall near the window. _Did she play? He couldn't remember the last time he'd listened to music of any kind and he missed it sorely. __Maybe I could ask her about it later…_

He smoothed out the cover on the bed and rearranged the pillows to his liking. The SOLDIER in him wouldn't let him leave a bed unmade. 

He jumped as a loud banging filled the house. _It sounds  like someone is trying to smash the door down! _

Stealthily he moved to the window and looked out. A crowd of children dressed in white uniforms filled the path, one of them banging merrily away at the door.

 Frowning in confusion he turned away from the window and headed out the door. Standing at the top of the stairs he called softly. "Tifa?"

She ran into view. "Aw man, I completely forgot I had a class today!" she ran her fingers through her hair in agitation. "Just stay up there for a minute will you?" 

Pulling open the door she grinned back at the assorted faces beaming at her. "Hey kids! Why don't you head on out and start getting warmed up? I need to go get changed." She quickly jogged back upstairs and into her bedroom, where Sephiroth was waiting with his arms folded.

"You're a teacher?" She walked past him to the bed.

"A martial arts teacher, yes." Crouching down she reached under it and pulled a large sports bag out. "I have to make a living you know and I've had my fill of bars, thank you very much." She opened the bottom drawer and picked up a black uniform that was folded neatly inside. 

"Should I stay here until you're done?" She stood up and turned to him.

"If you wanted you could help me out with the class?"

"Won't they recognise me?"

"I doubt it, Nibelheim children are rather sheltered. And as far as the town is concerned I have an old friend staying with me. Besides, kids are a lot more accepting of things like this then you'd think." He hesitated. "Oh come on! I've been promising to give them a sparring demonstration anyway, and this'll be a perfect opportunity!"

Finally he nodded.  "I'll try not to make a fool out of you in front of your students though."

"Get out of my room so I can change Sephiroth, then we'll see who makes a fool out of who!"

She emerged from her room a minute later carrying the sports bag and dressed in her uniform. It was black edged with white, with "Zangan" written vertically on the left leg. Letting the bag drop to the floor she tightened the belt more securely around her waist. It was black, but he'd expected no less. White characters adorned the back of her top, completing the outfit. 

"Whose Zangan?"

"My old martial arts teacher. It's also the name of what I practise." He nodded and picked up the bag from the floor. She was about to protest but thought better of it. _If he wanted to be a gentleman then who am I to stop him?_

"I assume you teach them in the garden?" She started down the stairs and he followed. 

"Yeah. It's perfect for training. Bigger than any room I could convert in here." She pushed open the back door, whoops and calls greeting her as the kids ran around the garden. 

"Hey guys! This is…" 

"Seth" Sephiroth interjected quietly, coming up behind her. 

"Right. Well he's gonna help me with the class today ok?" 16 collective heads nodded, their eyes brightening as they looked over the newest member of the class. Tifa shot Sephiroth an "I told you so" look before turning her attention back to the class. "You lot all warmed up?"

She grinned as she listened to the chorus of "yes Tifa" she got in reply. 

"Good! Well then, lets get started." She made her way to the back of the garden, near the wooden "horse". " Two lines down the centre facing me please!" Sephiroth walked after her, setting the bag down behind her. "Ok we'll start with the basics then. Step forward with right front punch followed with front snap kick. On my count!"

"I don't have to do this right?" Sephiroth whispered.

"Hmm? No, not if you don't want to. One!" In unison they all stepped forward performing the technique. She glowed with pride. "Two!" They repeated the technique. "Alright, now low block and rising block."

They continued like this for a while, Tifa moving between the lines, correcting techniques as she went. Finally she stopped and called them to attention. "That was good, you guys have been practising! Now we're gonna do some pad work, ok?"

She opened the sports bag Sephiroth had brought out and pulled out 2 large pads, about the size of her torso with straps at the back for holding. 

"Seth will you hold this for me? Ok we're going to start off simple. All I want is a side kick, but remember to hit with the proper part of the foot."

 She showed them what she meant, hitting the pad squarely in the middle and causing Sephiroth to stumble back slightly. Turning she picked up the other pad and stood a little way apart from him. "Alright, 8 to a pad and remember to give each other space." As they progressed she moved on to more difficult kicks, demonstrating and then getting the class to do it. 

After about 10 minutes she tossed her pad to the ground.

"Remember how I promised to show you some real sparring? Well we're in luck since Seth here is quite the proficient martial artist. I'll try not to hurt him too badly though." Excited "oohs" and exclamations of "cool!" greeted this pronouncement as they moved to the sides of the grass, leaving the open area free for the 2 fighters. 

Sephiroth eyed her dubiously. "We'll see."

She walked into the middle of the grass. "It's semi contact alright?" He nodded and bowed to her, his eyes not leaving her face as she followed suit. 

She was the better hand-to-hand fighter, this she knew but he was going to use his height against her, not to mention his unnatural strength and speed. One hand guarded her face while the other hovered about her midsection as she circled him warily. 

He made the first move, lashing out with a side kick off his front foot, hoping to catch her in the torso. She was ready for this however and turned her body slightly, catching his foot on her arm as she spun into him with a back kick, pushing him off balance. 

Annoyed that she'd gotten past his guard so easily he came at her again with a flurry of punches. She fended them off, confident until he followed it up with a lightening quick kick to the jaw, snapping her head back. She wiped away a thin trickle of blood that ran from her mouth angrily as he smiled at her. _Competitive idiot! Fine. If he wants to play rough then by god I'll give him rough!_

 Around her, the students watched transfixed, as the battle unfurled. 

He'd lowered his guard to his midsection, wary of another kick, giving her a perfect opportunity. She stepped forward and slammed her fist up underneath his jaw as he reeled. Only too aware that such a powerful uppercut should have knocked him unconscious she tried again, turning and driving her elbow into his solar plexus. 

He shoved her away, recovering and pivoted on his right foot, bringing up his left leg and hooking it, trying to hit her on the side of her head. She barely managed to block in time and the force of the blow sent her to her knees. He looked at her triumphantly. _What the hell does he think this is? I said sparring, not try and kill me!_ She got to her feet. 

Without warning she leapt into the air hitting him with her right foot in his midsection before twisting in mid air and hitting him with her left, sending him crashing to the floor. 

…And her with him, as he reached out and grabbed her arm, taking her with him. She found herself lying unceremoniously on top of him, his arms locked around her waist. 

She stared into his eyes as her mouth started inching closer to his, independent of her mind. She could see the turmoil in his eyes as their lips barely touched, before he closed them and pressed his mouth to hers, kissing her hungrily. She could feel his heart race in time with hers as she revelled in his touch. 

High-pitched "Eeeeewwss!!!!" brought her back to reality. His arms released her reluctantly as she rolled off him and climbed shakily to her feet.

"Alright class that's enough for today. You can go home."

"But Tifa-"

"Enough! Go home! Class is over!" unwillingly the children filed out of the garden. 

Tifa followed them, fighting the urge to return to where Sephiroth lay watching her on the grass.

Author's note: YEAH!! This is like, twice as long as any other chapter. I'm so proud of me! Right well I have next week free, then a week of exams, thhhennn 3 months of holidays so lots and lots of writing will be going on.

Thank you thank you thank you everyone for their reviews!

****

**_Okie.. So why Tifa was so crazy in the last chapter. In my experience if you are stuck in a horrible unrequited love situation you tend to get really horribly depressed by mere mention of this persons name as it brings back memories and such. And then you lash out blah blah blah coz you're upset. Or else that's just me. Meh.   
  
_**

**_Also, yay for Evanescence they have temporarily stolen my soul and read and review. Later._**


	8. Don't turn away

DISCLAIMER: Do I own any of these splendid characters and eyecatching locations? Nahhhh.

                                                                Chapter 8: Don't turn away

_Oh god oh god oh god oh god. I KNOW I didn't just do that_.

 She barely waited for the sound of the front door slamming shut as the last of the children exited the house before sinking to the floor with her back to the door and her head in her hands. 

She breathed in deeply, once twice trying to calm herself.

_ What on earth possessed me to do that?_

_ You like him_, a voice in her head answered slyly. It was the truth too, now that she'd brought herself to admit it. She really liked him. And it definitely took two to tango, so he'd felt something aswell.

 _But this is wrong!_

_Why?_ The voice in her head argued back. _Cloud's gone and you've accepted it. It's time to move on,so why not with Sephiroth?_

_ Because.. because he killed Aeris, he killed my father. _She struggled to come up with an adequate reason.

Is that the best you can do? You KNOW who caused that. Come on. Admit it, you're scared of letting anyone get close. Afraid that you'll get the metaphorical knife shoved through your heart again. If you're going to live in fear for the rest of your life you can at least be honest with yourself about it.

She shook her head violently, trying to clear the conflicting thoughts from her head. The voice was right of course. She'd made a promise to herself not to let Cloud run her life, but now, instead she was letting the fear of getting her heart broken again do it for him. And that definitely was not preferable_. And Sephiroth... What am I going to say to him? What can I say? She cringed at the thought of it. _

The door behind her suddenly opened, and she found herself on her back staring up at the object of her thoughts. He looked down at her for a moment before stepping over her and continuing out of the kitchen in silence. She stared after him, hurt and confused. Ok so she'd been worrying about what to say to him, but she at least would have said SOMETHING. Not treated him like he wasn't there. She got to her feet and followed him out into the hall. She could hear him moving upstairs and she ran up after him. 

Pushing open the door to her room she froze at the sight of him pulling on his boots, with his cloak already around his shoulders. He glanced at her briefly before finishing lacing up his boots. That done he stood up,hat in hand.

"I'll be taking my leave of you now, Ms. Lockhart." She felt like she'd been slapped, _Ms. Lockhart_.  Wordlessly, she stood aside as he strode from the room. Immobilized she stood there. _Ms. Lockhart_. That had really stung. It said it all, he was pushing her away. Leaving her. _What are you doing? you IDIOT? You're going to stand here and let this happen? again_? The voice broke through her trance, forcing her into action. Sprinting from the room she leapt down the stairs, taking them two at a time. 

"Sephiroth!Wait!" he continued on, like he hadn't heard her, pulling open the door. In desperation she grabbed his arm, turning him to face her. He stared at her expressionlessly. She swallowed, stepping back.

"Where.. where are you going?" He stayed silent for so long she thought he wasn't going to answer.

"To the mansion." he said flatly.

"You're going to hide there forever?!"

"No. Not that it's any of your business. I need to learn more and I have pretty much exhausted all of the Mansion's resources."

"So where? To see your mother?" He looked at her sharply.

"What do you know of... No. Nevermind. I was planning on going to Cosmo Canyon. And from there, to the City of the Ancients."

"Yeah. I can just imagine what Nanaki and Cloud are going to do when they see YOU."

"I will manage." He reached for the door again. She pulled it shut.

"Like hell you will. They'll attack you on sight and you know it. And what of Lucrecia? Do you even know where she is? Don't you want to talk to her? Let me come with you. I know where she is, and maybe I can make things a little easier for you if you're so set on going where other AVALANCHE members are."

"I do not think so."

She stamped her foot in fury. "I don't CARE what you think. I'm not going to stay here while you go and either be killed by or kill some of my dearest friends all because you're too stubborn to take me along. Is this what you want? More blood spilled?" He turned on her, green eyes blazing.

"NO!!You think I don't spend every moment of my days thinking about what I have done? How many people I have killed? I can see them all, inside my head. I am stained so deeply with blood that I will NEVER be clean. And that is the way it should be. If I have to live then I will spend  my life never letting myself forget what I have caused." He continued on quietly, regaining control of himself. "It's the way it should be. It's all I can do."

"Then let me come with you, please. You think they'll believe you if you show up and say you've changed? They won't. It'll lead to a battle when it could be avoided. And I'd end up having to bury either you, Cloud or Nanaki. I couldn't bear losing anyone else close to me. Any more friends." She pleaded with him as she blinked back the tears that had risen in her eyes at the thought of it.

He stared at her incredulously. "A friend? ... You consider me a friend?" She nodded, a lump in her throat as his expression softened. Inside Sephiroth fought with himself, he wanted her to come, but for a second she'd made him forget. Forget what he'd done. He didn't deserve the peace that came with forgetting and acceptance. But on the other hand...                                                                    

"You said you knew where my mother is?"                                            

"Yes. And... Vincent. You need to find him too. You're more like him then you could know."

He hesitated for a second longer.

"Take me to them. Please." 

                                                                ~

Tifa shut the door with a sigh resting her head against the door frame for a moment before heading upstairs to pack a few essentials. Quickly she changed out of her uniform into her old black leather skirt and a garnet coloured sleeveless top. She threw a black halter top and a pair of jeans into a small rucksack along with a handful of potions ,money and a PHS. She equipped her woman's armlet and slid her hands securely into her Premium Heart. She flexed her fingers experimentally before turning her attention to what materia she should bring. Picking out her mastered Comet ,Cure, Life, Enemy Skill, Ice and Odin she slid them into their respective slots. This done she donned a short leather jacket and tied her hair back with a Ribbon. 

Without a backward glance she walked out of the house, pausing only to pick up her set of keys.

                                                                ~

Sephiroth paced restlessly around the entrance hall to the mansion. He'd come back here to gather his stuff and change out of that ridiculous looking hat and cloak while waiting for Tifa. She'd said she'd meet him back here in an hour as she had some things to take care of before she left.

 He'd thought briefly about just leaving without her, but he didn't know where to find Lucrecia or Vincent and she'd had the foresight not to tell him. For better or worse she was coming with him. _Stubborn Woman. _

He couldn't say he wasn't glad of her presence though, looking forward to spending this journey with her.No no no... This was why he hadn't wanted her to come in the first place. He didn't trust himself around her. Instead of reliving what he'd done, whenever he closed his eyes he saw her staring down at him, remembering the feel of her in his arms_.  If only those damn kids hadn't been there. There I go again... Stop kidding yourself  Sephiroth! This will never happen. You don't DESERVE this._

His thoughts were broken by the sound of the main door opening. 

"You ready to go?" Tifa couldn't help as her eyes widened at the sight of him, he was wearing his old General outfit with a long,black leather trench coat over it. It was far too reminiscent of the old Sephiroth for her liking but she had to admit,it suited him. 

"Yes" he shouldered a rucksack similar to her own and joined her at the door and together they set off for the mountains. 

They walked in silence, Tifa taking the lead as they reached the path at the bottom of the mountains."I'm assuming you want to see Lucrecia first?"

"That would be my immediate priority,yes." 

"Alright but it's going to be a hard climb, normally we'd make it on a chocobo but mine's being taken care of at the chocobo farm at the moment." 

"That is fine."

He followed her up the path, lost in his own thoughts and as a result he stumbled into her when she stopped abruptly. She was frowning and looking around her.

"What is it?"

"We need to turn right somewhere around here or else we'll end up in Rocket."

"Do you even have any idea of where you're going?" he said, getting impatient. She turned and looked at him.

"I'll find it. Don't worry, and if you have nothing helpful to say then maybe you should just keep quiet." 

"Given the option I'd prefer not to speak. I wouldn't need to talk to myself. But your presence is not giving me that option."

She fixed him with an icy look before marching off, her eyes searching for a hidden path. Inwardly he winced. In truth he'd meant to hurt her feelings, but meaning to didn't prepare him for feeling so horrible about doing it. _No. It's better this way, if she has to come then it's best if she doesn't get close again._

She'd disappeared off the path and was now wandering North West through the undergrowth, once again completely confident in her surroundings. He followed, paying attention for stray rocks and roots that would delight in tripping him. This area was completely foreign to him and it came as no surprise when he found himself outside a cave that he'd never seen before.

 She was waiting for him at the entrance, an icy look still adorning her features. "We go through here, it'll bring us out near the waterfall. It's completely enclosed by mountains and it'll be hard enough to climb in the daytime let alone in pitch dark so we should find somewhere to spend the night before trying it."

"Whatever you think is best." He loosened his sword in its sheath.

"The last time I came through a cave with you it wasn't exactly a danger free trip" he said in answer to her questioning look.

"Whatever." She stalked into the cave, still angry at how he apparently found her presence unbearable. 

Her head brushed the ceiling as she found herself in a steep passage barely 3 feet across. She fought to breathe normally as her breath started coming in short gasps. She wasn't a fan of enclosed spaces. Trying to shake off the feeling that the walls were closing in on her she pressed on, her eyes straining to see in the dim light.

Just when she thought she could take no more the passage opened up into a rocky cavern that seemed to stretch on forever. In the distance she could hear the faint sound of water splashing against stone. Behind her Sephiroth stretched, relieved to be able to stand up straight after having to stoop for so long.

"Where is the exit?" She gestured vaguely to the far end of the cavern and started to walk in that direction. 

He kept his distance behind her, alert for any signs of danger, finding the apparent emptiness of the cavern disquieting. The sound of running water got steadily louder until after an hour of walking they came across an underground river cutting right across their path. It was deep ,too deep to wade across and far too wide to jump. A violent current sent the water crashing and churning against the bank.

"We appear to have a problem."

"No... We can cross it. Wait here and I'll show you, then you come across after me." He was really getting tired of being ordered around but what could he do? He didn't know the way.

"Come on!The crossing is a little upriver from here." She walked right, parallel to the river until they came to a place where a scattering of rocks jutted up from the riverbed. 

"Watch what I do and where I jump, some of these rocks aren't stable." She leapt onto the first one without incident and tried for the second,not noticing the thin covering of moss until her foot slipped, her arms flailing as she struggled to regain her balance.

"Right, so I follow your wonderful example and jump, do a fairly good impression of a windmill as I tempt fate into sending me careening into a particularly wild and dangerous river and thus causing me to drown. Ok, I think I've got it." he said dryly. 

She pulled a handful of moss off the rock and hurled it in his direction as a response. He dodged it easily, laughing as he did so. She turned away in mock annoyance, her real anger forgotten as she leapt nimbly from rock to rock, making it to the other side of the river without any further accident.

She set off again, leaving him to navigate the rocks on his own. _He'll catch up soon enough anyway._

Beneath her the ground shook making her lose her balance and sending her to the cavern floor. She screamed involuntarily ,more out of surprise then terror as one of the green dragons that had made the caves it's home appeared from a rocky enclave. It ran at her, sending tremors through the ground with each step, making standing up impossible.  

Sephiroth watched in horror from the other side of the river as it bore down on her, bellowing flames at where she lay on the ground. He breathed a sigh of relief as she rolled to the side ,just avoiding the scorching flames,managing to get to her feet. 

"Tifa!Hold on!I'm coming!" She turned to the sound of his voice, momentarily distracted as the dragon,taking advantage of her lapse in concentration, swung it's tail around, smashing into her and knocking her flying.

_Shit shit shit_. He mentally cursed, his body already moving into action. He took two steps back before running at the bank and launching himself into the air, unsheathing his sword as he somersaulted gracefully over the river. He landed lightly on the other side and took off in the direction of the dragon. It was too busy rearing over Tifa to notice him attacking from the rear.

Tifa lay on the ground,  totally winded ._Where the hell was Sephiroth?_ she thought frantically as she tried to force her body to move as the dragon roared above her. A flash of silver caught her eye as Sephiroth leapt into the air behind it, his sword striking again and again, his eyes alight with green fire.

The dragon howled with pain as it turned to face this new attacker. Crimson blood ran from various gashes that the Masamune had opened as it cut through it's scaly hide.

 It swiped a claw at Sephiroth in vain as he rolled under it and came up within striking distance of it's vulnerable underbelly. Taking advantage of this he spun, impaling the creature with his sword, angling upward,desperately searching for it's heart. It threw back it's head and howled in agony,it's claws coming up and knocking him away,his masamune still lodged in the creature's soft belly. He pushed himself to his feet,barely fazed by  it's attack. He'd stepped forward,getting ready to try and retrieve his sword when the cavern rapidly descented into darkness. Somewhere in front of him he heard a voice shout "Shadow flare!" as the dragon was outlined by a flash of white light. He blinked as spots crowded his vision at the sudden change in extremities. When they faded he saw the dragon collapsed on it's back,apparently dead.  

He walked over to it warily tensed in case it wasn't as dead as it seemed. He bent over it and pulled out his sword smoothly before inspecting the blade. _Covered in blood. That would have to be taken care of. But first..._ He strode over to where Tifa was standing. 

"What do you think you are doing?! Why didn't you wait for me?! You almost got yourself killed. If I was not here you would have been!!"

 She hated that he'd insinuate she was helpless. Again. Fury shone in her eyes as mako shone in his."If you weren't here then I'D have no need to be here! Twice you've saved my life, granted, but it wouldn't have needed saving if you hadn't come back." 

Her accusatory tone made him falter. _If you hadn't come back..._

"I did not want or ask for you to come knocking at my door. I did not want nor ask for you to accompany me,you forced me into it and... I didn't want or ask to come back here."

As quickly as it came her anger drained away. She was already tired of this argument. "We don't ask for alot of things Sephiroth, but they have a habit of happening anyway...and they do for a reason. You're here for a reason. You just need to find out what it is."

Slowly she reached up,brushing a stray lock of silver hair back from his face. He watched her guardedly,the look in his eyes reminding her of an abused animal, expecting violence with every touch. 

"Let me help you find out what it is." she breathed, raising up on her tip toes, kissing him softly ,her arms encircling his neck as if it were the most natural thing in the world.  His arms hung stiffly by his sides before he reached up gently and pushed her away. Not wanting to see the hurt in her eyes that mirrored the pain in his he walked slowly away from her and sat down on the ground, his back turned. Reaching into his pack he pulled out a piece of cloth.

"Sephiroth please! Don't turn away from me." Her fists clenched as her throat tightened. "Please..." she whispered.

Taking the cloth in one hand and laying his sword flat on the ground with the other he started to clean the blood off the blade.

Author's note: Oh man I think I depressed me there! Thank you Radiohead for making me COMPLETELY change the end of this chapter. So in theory I won't start the next chapter until at least Tuesday as I have to sttuudddyyy. In theory. I'll see you all around saturday or sunday with the next chapter.

Thanks to everyone for reviewing! Ah you don't know how much it makes me smile! =) --see? Now, I'm off to the "misfits" and you all know what you have to do !revviiewwwwww!


	9. You don't see me

Disclaimer: 3 Libras is copyright A perfect circle. I could neverevereverEVER write something THAT pretty. And yes...you guessed it, FF7 is not my creation. *Sigh*

                                                                Chapter 9- You don't see me

**I threw you the obvious,**

** And you flew with it on your back**

** A name in your recollection, down among a million same.**

**Difficult not to feel a little bit disappointed and passed over**

**When I look right through, see you naked but oblivious and you don't see me.**

She stood stock-still, trying to force the fine trembling that was running through her body to stop.  She wasn't going to let this show. Not in front of anyone. If she was going to breakdown at all it'd be on her own time. Finally convinced she was back in control she called out to him.

"Have you finished?" She noticed her voice didn't waver and felt a certain amount of satisfaction.

He stood up and re-sheathed his sword. "Let's go."

They walked in an awkward silence. It was starting to stifle Tifa but she'd be damned if she was going to be the one to break it. She pulled ahead of him, the feel of him so close was intensifying the heavy feeling in her chest. 

He increased his pace to match hers until they were side by side again. "As you have just demonstrated it is not a good idea for you to walk on your own." She felt like punching him. _What was his problem? If the positions were reversed he wouldn't want to be anywhere near her. So why was he completely disregarding the pain she was in?_ Instead she gritted her teeth.

"Go away." _When under threat of tears blinding rage was always an acceptable substitute._

She stepped ahead of him as he reached out and caught her wrist. On instinct she brought her arm up and around, throwing his hand away. "Don't."

 "Tifa I know you're upset-"  he began gently.

"I don't want to hear it. I'm sorry. It was a mistake, I won't do it again. I thought-" she shook her head. "I don't know what I thought. Can we please just get out of here?" 

 He paused, at a loss for words. There were so many things he wanted to say... 

Finally he just nodded.

                                                                                ~

They stepped out of the cavern having reached the exit at last. As Tifa had predicted it was almost full dark and the moon was hidden behind dark clouds, making seeing almost impossible. The cold air hit her in an icy blast.

"Be careful, there's a precipice to your right."

"I see it. There appears to be a thicket of trees over to our left."

_How the hell could he see? Oh right, advantages of being a super SOLDIER_. She answered her own question. 

"We can sleep there then." She followed him to the trees, keeping an eye out for any unpleasant surprises. He stopped inside a circle of trees growing close together.

"This should provide adequate protection." Sephiroth slid to the ground with unnatural grace.

She slumped down against the nearest tree, dropping her pack beside her as she wrapped her arms around herself in order to retain what little warmth she had. Noticing her reaction he reached up and broke a thick branch off the tree above him with ease. He snapped the wood into smaller pieces before adding a handful of leaves to the pile of wood. Extending his hand he concentrated, a green glow emanating from him as he set the wood on fire. This done he leant back, satisfied.

"I will take the first watch."

"No. I don't trust you to wake me up for the second. Go to sleep." He scowled**. Again with the orders!** Right now didn't seem to be a good time to cross her however. He shut his eyes. 

Tifa watched him, noting as his breath slowed, signalling that he was fast asleep. She stood up and moved a little away from the fire, out of the circle of trees. Looking up she glimpsed the stars, glinting like icy diamonds in the night's sky.  _They were beautiful. They always were, so beautiful and yet so...distant. The sight of them always pushed her a little out of control.  Tears slowly started to roll down her face as she let the events of the last few hours sink in. _

But I threw you the obvious just to see 

She'd finally taken a chance and this was the result.  

**If there's more behind the eyes of a fallen angel, eyes of a tragedy**

She'd started to fall for him, not love him ,no, but it could have easily turned into it. _Well best I know now instead of deluding myself with this little fantasy, taking his actions and words to mean what I want them to mean, rather then what they are. I made that mistake once with Cloud. _

_Though a kiss... that tends to mean something more then friendship, _a stubborn voice whispered inside her head_.  God, he was such a contradiction! Warming to her, then acting like he was devoid of all goddamn human emotion!_

**Here I am expecting just a little too much from the wounded.**

_But no... that wasn't fair. He'd gone through hell and back and I just expected him to forget all about it? How could I have been so stupid?_  She sank,cross-legged to the ground, her head in her hands as her tears started to flow freely. _Idiot idiot idiot._

Behind her, Sephiroth struggled into consciousness. He'd always been a light sleeper and any change in his surroundings was enough to awake him_. Always on alert, even while I sleep. Hojo must have been proud_, he thought, humourlessly. 

He noticed he was alone, the fire still crackling away merrily.  For a wild moment he thought Tifa had left him here and gone home. But... he didn't think she'd do that. _Then, where was she? Where'd she go? Had something happened? No, I'd have woken if we were attacked.  Damnit, why does she continue to go off alone?! She knows it isn't safe! _He stood up and clenched his fist, lashing out and hitting the tree behind him in frustration.  _Well I'm just going to have to go bring her back,_ he thought grimly.

He stepped out of the trees and looked around, almost immediately spotting her a little distance away, sitting on the ground facing away from him. He moved towards her soundlessly and as a result Tifa didn't notice him until he was almost on top of her. 

He reached out and grabbed her shoulder, turning her around to face him roughly. "What do you think you're..." his words died in his throat as he took in her tear-streaked face. 

"Tifa?" he made it a question. 

She hurriedly brushed away her tears with the back of her hand. She didn't want him to see her like this. She didn't let anyone seeing her when she was vulnerable. She was too proud to be comforted and she hated pity.

"What. What do you want?!" She stood up to face him. 

"I just... I woke up and saw you gone. I thought something had happened." He faltered as she laughed harshly.

"Oh like you'd give a damn! You don't want me here right? You've made that very clear.  "

"No. Do not presume to know me so well that you can predict my actions. You do not. You have no idea."

 She turned away from him in exasperation. "What do you want from me Sephiroth? Your actions say you don't like me and you don't want me. And yet you persist in saving my life, keeping me around. Damn you!" She rounded on him again." You say that I don't know you well enough to predict your actions? You're right, how can I do that when you don't even know yourself well enough to do it? "

He tried to speak and she cut him off. "Shut up, I'm not finished. How do you explain kissing me Sephiroth? And why did you push me away when I did the same?"

He sighed, weary of this, weary of the hurt that rode the night air, but at the same time a little glad to finally be able to get some things off his chest, off his mind. "You accepted me. You accepted that part of me that destroyed your home, and I am grateful for it but at the same time don't you understand? I don't deserve it! I don't deserve the happiness that you bring me." He stopped, his voice cracking.

She could feel herself beginning to cry again and she was too worn out to try and stop. "And me? Do I not deserve the happiness you bring me?"

"I didn't realise you felt that way. You don't.. You haven't known me that long."

"I know what I want." He stared at her in shock, taking in the implications of her words. 

 He stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her tightly. She tried to push him away but he held on. Finally she gave in and rested her head on his chest, shedding her tears.

He held her until he felt her sobs receding. "Come on, I think you need some rest." Hesitantly he held out his hand. Surprised she took it, intertwining her fingers with his as they walked back to the campfire. 

He stopped as they entered the circle of trees and removed his jacket. "You look cold, sleep with this." She took the jacket and waited for him to sit down ,before sitting down beside him.

"Tifa-"

"Sephiroth, cut the tortured crap. You're taking on Vincent's less admirable traits. I'm sticking around so you're just going to have to deal with being happy. Alright?"

Wordlessly he nodded and she smiled, satisfied as she nestled her body against his, her head once again on his chest as she covered them with his jacket.

His arms cradled her as they drifted off to sleep.

**Author's note:**

**God I just HAD to change this chapter because it made me gag to read it. It's shorter and the more vomit inducing dialogue and thoughts are gone. Yippee. In future when I write crap like that someone PLEASE tell me. I'm in the middle of the next chapter, it'll be up later today or tomorrow.**

**Now I'd just like to take this time to say… Thank you Yue-Sama(my first reviewer,sniffle), Ice-angel, Chem, Midnight Starz, Dragondreamer ,Ayane, chaos, Rach, Lynx, YamiMarita, Malz, Kris(Yeah yeah I updated in the end) annnd Misaki. Whose fic does NOT suck*Evil eye*. You all rock. So much. So very very much.******

**Yes so Ice-angel has a new story up. Go read it, it's good. But review this first.**


	10. Are you someone's prayer?

**Disclaimer: You know the drill.**

**                                                Chapter 10- Are you someone's prayer?**

**know the lies they always told you,**

**was the love you never knew,**

**whats the things they never showed you?**

**that swallowed the light from the sun,**

**inside your room,**

**i'm coming down the world turned over,**

**and angels fall without you there,and i go on as you get colder**__

_Goo Goo Dolls- Black Balloon_

Longing. It was all he felt when he looked at her, her hands folded in her lap as she sat cross-legged on the ground, watching his approach with blatent indifference. He reached for her inspite of himself, stopping short when he remembered that he couldn't touch her. He wouldn't touch her ever again. 

"Lucrecia.."

 She sighed, a barely audible sound as she got to her feet. He hardly spared a thought as to how one could stand when one was non-corporeal. He'd never had a head for physics, for science, that had always been her forte. He supposed he could ask her about it, but that would be recognising what he tried to avoid. Recognising what she was.

 A ghost.

Destined to stay, trapped here for all eternity._ And I? I'm just another kind of ghost, one who can touch, and feel to some extent. But fate has a cruel sense of humour, leaving us both here forever, together yet alone. So desperately alone._

"Why do you persist on coming here Vincent? I'm your past. Not your future." She paced restlessly around him.

"You know why I come."  

Idly she flicked an imaginary piece of lint from her clothing. "Ah yes, your Sin. Your love is trapped here, your only son you helped to kill and you... Not quite human, not quite demon, but something in between. Can't let you forget that, now can we? Though now really, I'd hardly call hanging around this place repenting, eh Vincent?" her mocking laugh rang hollowly through out the cave.

He furrowed his eyebrows at this last comment though it was nothing new to him. Ever since Sephiroth had been killed he'd noticed this change in her. She was becoming more bitter, twisted even. So unlike the Lucrecia he'd once loved.  He'd heard her muttering in her sleep, if ghosts even slept. Words of anguish, of hatred and pain. Arguments between herself and an unknown voice in her head. It worried him, this apparent descent into madness. She was transforming into someone he didn't know. Someone who delighted in tormenting him even more then he tormented himself.

His mind didn't register the fact that her once soundless footsteps now echoed around the cave. She stopped in front of him and he looked down at her, drowning in her dark, dark eyes.  Her eyes had made him fall in love with her, once upon a time. Looking into them he could almost pretend that she was his Lucrecia once more. 

"My sweet valentine, if I could take away all the pain you were feeling... " She reached up and touched his face. His eyes widened in surprise, that touch was so very, very real. 

His mouth was busy forming the word "how" when a delicate and very solid fist crashed into his jaw, throwing him against the wall with tremendous force. He slumped to the ground, unseeing as she bent over him,  a pale hand stroking his cheek tenderly.

"I wouldn't. I'd add more, my dear, sweet, bloody valentine." Once again she laughed, a sound like broken glass, before turning and stepping out of the cave.

                                                                                ~

Tifa snuggled more deeply into the crook of Sephiroth's arms, trying to ignore the growing daylight. Finally resigning herself to the fact that morning was here and there was nothing she could do about it she opened her eyes, squinting against a stray ray of the sun's light. 

Seeing that she was awake Sephroth gently removed his arm from under her, wincing at the stiffness that came with keeping it in one position for the entire night.  She half protested before rolling onto her side and staring lazily up at him.

"Morning" She smiled languidly. 

"Good morning." He stretched, easing out the kinks in his shoulders. 

She yawned, propping herself up on her elbows. "You know, I'd kill for a cup of coffee."

"You don't strike me as the caffeine addicted type."

"Addict is such a ...harsh word. I prefer caffeine dependant."

He looked at her, his expression pure amusement.

"I'm afraid that until you collapse from caffeine withdrawal I won't be going out of my way to get you any. But take comfort in the fact that I have high hopes for your survival, highly traumatic as this time may be."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Since when have you been so sarcastic?"

"Since forever. It is one of my more becoming traits." He reached for her pack then stopped.

"You did bring food, right?"

"Of course,  you said there was no food at the mansion so I hit the shops."She smiled sweetly." What would you do without me?"

"Not get attacked by dragons." he said, not missing a beat. She scowled and jabbed her finger at him.

"Lets get one thing straight Mr. I am not helpless. I have never been helpless. You'd do well to remember that. Also, I seem to recall me finishing off said dragon while you on the other hand, lost your sword."

"You beat me to it."

"Uh huh." She snatched her pack away from him and started to rummage inside. She pulled out 2 bags of trail mix and tossed him one before ripping open the top of the other.  

He looked at the bag in his hand, an expression of distaste marring his features. "How... unappetising."

"Donbspik" She said, her mouth full of food. 

He looked at her dead panning. 

She swallowed and tried again." Don't be so picky. It's all you're getting."

He sighed, drawing it out. "Fine."

Helping herself to another of handful of food she sank into contemplation. _This was nice, this friendly banter. It's such a contrast to last night. _She felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off her chest. _I have someone._ She grinned.

                                                                ~

When they'd finished eating they set off again in comfortable silence. Tifa walked along the edge of the precipice, her footsteps sending a few stones skittering down into nothingness.  The ground started to slope upward, getting steeper and steeper until they were forced to start climbing. 

Tifa searched for hand holes, using her legs to push herself up before beginning the process once more. Behind her Sephiroth followed suit. It seemed like they'd been climbing forever and sweat had started to trickle down her forehead, the result of the heat and the fact that the "slope" had turned into a near sheer cliff.  _The good news is we're only a couple of feet from the top, bad news is we still have to go down the other side once we get to the top. Inwardly she groaned. This was beginning to look like a long day._

Sephiroth waited patiently for Tifa to move up, though in truth with his superior height and strength he could have out distanced her easily. He watched as she struggled to pull herself up onto a ledge, his hands resting a little below her feet. Her leather mini skirt strained as she climbed, giving him a very nice view. He grinned and reached up to give her a little push, causing her to let out a girlish "yip" before turning and looking at him in indignation.

"Do you mind?!"

"Not at all. I'm quite happy to stay here looking up at you all day."

She fumed and increased her pace. _Men! _She'd be lying if she said those comments didn't send a little thrill running through out her body but at the same time she wasn't an object to be ogled at, either.

She stopped at the ledge, moving to one side so Sephiroth could pull himself up. It was narrow and he pressed his torso against the cliff face as there was barely room for both of them to stand. 

"Just want to take a little breather.." Tifa gasped. She looked down, solid ground seemed along way away. She felt dizzy just looking at it. 

The ledge, unstable to begin with and not able to cope with such weight slowly started to crumble away beneath her feet. Tifa, shutting her eyes against the vertigo didn't notice until she found herself falling with the rock.

She screamed, piercing as she wildly searched for something to grasp onto but to no avail. Sephiroth on the other hand, reacted in an instant. One hand secured itself on a piece of jutting out stone while the other encircled her wrist. Tifa's body snapped to a stop as her descent was halted, jarringly. She swung helplessly, trying not to panic, not to look down. She squeezed her eyes shut as she felt Sephiroth lift her up and pull her to his body. She wrapped her arms around him tightly as he supported their weight.

"It's ok Tifa." She squeezed her eyes shut tighter, memories of hurtling from Nibelheim bridge flooding her mind.

"Tifa, TIFA! I have you. It's ok. Tifa, look at me!" slowly she inched her eyes open, looking up at him.

"Alright now I am just going to pull myself up a little higher, all you have to do is hold on, ok?"

She nodded. He climbed the last few feet to the top, pulling them up with his hands. When he got there he encircled her waist with his arm and lifted her on to rocky ground, as far away from either edge as he could get. 

"We're at the top now. We'll rest here awhile before starting down again." Tifa sank to the ground, slightly embarrassed by her moment of panic. Sephiroth sat down next to her, handing her a bottle of water he'd retrieved from his pack. She took a long swig from the bottle before handing it back to him.

"Thanks. Again."

"It is no problem." He was serious again, the teasing of minutes before forgotten. 

"I..I don't know what got into me." she began, hesitantly. "For a minute there I thought I was on the bridge again. God, you must think I'm seriously pathetic, don't you? For all my protesting I seem to need rescueing every time you're around."

His arm loosely rested across her shoulders. "No. I definitely do not. No one could ever accuse you of being the "damsel in distress", as you put it. The female knight in shining armour, maybe,but no damsel."He grinned at her, a teasing edge to his smile once again. "Though I cannot help but think that maybe you get into trouble just so I can rescue you." She hit him in the chest, playfully. 

"Oh yeah,you wish!"

He grabbed her hand in his. "You know about last night..." Tifa's smile faded.

"What about it?"

"If you are having second thoughts about what you said..." he tensed as Tifa stared at him. _Where had that come from?_

"I'm not."

"But-"

"I'm not, ok? I meant every word of it." 

"Ok." He stayed silent for a moment longer.

"We better start down."

                                                                                ~

Tifa ran down the last couple of feet, losing control as the ground sloped steeply. She managed to stop just short of the lake, relieved to be back on horizontal ground once more.  

Sephiroth joined her at a more sedate pace. Inside, his thoughts raged and tumbled. _I'm going to meet my mother. My real mother_. He wiped the palms of his hands on his jacket. They were clammy and warm. 

"Ready to meet her?" Tifa questioned. His pulse sped up in his throat. 

"Show me the way."

He followed her around the edge of the lake, then behind a waterfall that thundered and crashed as he went by, cascading him with clinging spray. He shook his head impatiently, sending silvery drops of water in all directions. Tifa stopped, hesitant outside a gap in the rock.

"Do you want to go in alone?"

He thought for a moment before nodding.

"Alright. I'll wait out here then. Come out whenever you're ready."

Sephiroth stepped into the cave, his eyes adjusting to the dim gloom in record time. He scanned his surroundings, apparently empty. Except for... _what was it? A bundle of clothes? He walked over to the wall. _No not clothes.. _He nudged "it" with his foot. It was solid. And warm. He reached down and pulled back a crimson cloak, letting ebony hair spill over in it's place. Recognition shot through him._

_Vincent?_

**Author's note:**

**Cliffhanger. HAHAHA. Oh... teehee. They're just so much fun!**

** Yes so I rewrote chapter 9 a bit. Nothing major has changed, just a few bits of dialogue. Be warned that I will be going back and re-doing the earlier chapters as well. I don't like how they're written and now that  I actually have some semblance of a plot going I want them to be better. Alot better. I might change the title too.**

**Review and I'll get the next one up faster. Promise.**


	11. I linger in the doorway

_...Oh right,there should be a disclaimer around here somewhere...    _

_                                                Chapter 11:  I linger in the doorway_

Sephiroth reached down and pressed two fingers just below Vincent's jaw. His pulse beat reassuringly against Sephiroth's fingertips._ Well that's something. Vincent's hand shot up and encircled his wrist._

"Lucrecia?" His eyes swam out of focus.  Sephiroth pulled his hand away.

"No. Hold on and I'll get Tifa." Vincent sat up groggily. _Tifa? What was she doing here? And who is that? His eyes caught a glimpse of  silver and black as Sephiroth left the cave,  running._

_Sephiroth?!_ Vincent reached for his gun, suddenly feeling alot more clear headed.

                                                                ~

"Tifa!" She looked up,startled as Sephiroth ran towards her. 

"I need your assistance.  Now." She jumped to her feet. 

"Sephiroth? What's wrong? Did something happen?" He'd already turned away as she followed. 

He stepped into the cave, jerking back as a bullet ricocheted off the wall beside him. Tifa stumbled into him as he jumped back from the entrance of the cave.

"What the hell was that? Sephiroth, what's going on?" He pulled her back, out of sight of the entrance.

"Vincent. He was hurt. Lucrecia isn't in there and he doesn't seem too happy to see me."

Tifa groaned. "Alright. Stay here."

"Vincent? It's me, Tifa." She called out before stepping into the cave, the palms of her hands facing out in front of her in what she hoped was a calming gesture. Vincent kept his gun trained on her.

"Hello Tifa. Would you mind coming over here please? Sephiroth is out there."

"I know he is Vincent. I brought him here." He looked at her, disbelief etched on his face. _Wow, is that a facial expression I see on Vincent?_ She giggled, she couldn't help it.

"May I ask why you are travelling with him and how is he still alive?"

"Short answer, Cloud didn't kill him as completely as one might think, he showed up in the mansion and  I brought him here to meet his mother." She shook her head and sat down next to him. Vincent shifted his aim to the doorway. "He's changed Vincent. He's the... old Sephiroth again." She noticed his gun was still pointed. "And he's not going to try and kill you so would you please lower that gun?!" She said, sharply.

 He did, that one gesture showing how much trust he'd built up with her, being the only member of AVALANCHE to give him the time of day back in their quest to save the planet. She said their old enemy had changed and he accepted  her word with out question. It was a rare thing, that kind of faith. It made him almost wish that he'd tried to keep in touch with her after they all went their seperate ways.

She relaxed a notch. "Thank you Vincent, I know how hard this is for you." 

"If you say he has changed then I believe you Tifa. Sephiroth, you may come in."

Sephiroth entered the cave upon hearing this, looking at Tifa questioningly. She nodded and he walked over to them. 

"Are you alright?" Vincent got to his feet,using the wall as a support. 

"I will be fine." 

"What happene-"

"Why don't you let me cure you first before telling us what happened?" Tifa interrupted. Without waiting for an answer she focused on her materia. A soft glow surrounded Vincent briefly before disappating.

"Thank you. As to what happened.." He hesitated,not sure whether to tell them or not. He was still confused about what happened himself. _Lucrecia was alive? And not only alive but incredibly powerful. And where had she gone? What were her plans?_ He sighed,  last time he'd had information that might have changed the course of their mission, if he'd cared to divulge it, but he didn't. He wouldn't make the same mistake again.

"Lucrecia attacked me." Sephiroth started at this.

"What?" He focused on Vincent, inperturbed.

"She's changed Sephiroth. Into what I do not know. " He paced, his usual monotone  fraught with agitation."I knew there was something wrong! She'd talk for hours about how I failed to save you both, failed to keep my promise to her. She found it amusing.. And...  she's been argueing with someone inside her head while she sleeps." He shut his eyes. "I fear I have lost her to madness."

Sephiroth's face was carefully blank.

"I see. So it is safe to assume that she is dangerous then?"

"From what I have seen she is to be approached with extreme caution. I do not know where she has gone but it is imperitive that we find her immediately."

Tifa had been listening in silence up to this point, reluctant to intrude on a conversation that she felt she had no place in, but now she spoke up in spite of herself.

"But... how? The last time I came here I was under the impression that Lucrecia was,well, a ghost. How is it possible that she could attack you?"

Vincent stared at her, unblinking. " I have an idea, but I would prefer to research it further before drawing a conclusion."

Sephiroth nodded as if seeing  in Vincent something confirmed in his own mind. A look of understanding passed between the two men.

Tifa looked at both of them,getting the feeling she was missing something.The silence between them stretched. Finally she threw her hands up in  the air in frustration.

"Fine, don't share! Do you know where she might have gone Vincent?"

"No."

"Well then, I suggest that we continue on to Cosmo Canyon. You can research there and we can alert Nanaki to the situation. Any problem with that?"

Neither of them said a word.

"Ok then. Shall we go?"

                                                                                ~

The sun beat down on Tifa as she paused for breath. Wiping sweat from her brow she stared in wonder at the rolling plains of Cosmo Canyon. Harsh red rock seemed to spread out for miles, interrupted at times by the sheer canyon walls. It was an awe inspiring place, completely comfortable in its own wildness, its jagged beauty. 

Beside her Vincent halted, shrinking back  further into his blood red cape,away from the almost painfully bright light of the sun. How he could stand to wear such clothing in this kind of weather she'd never know, having relegated her jacket to her rucksack the moment they'd crossed the river and entered into the land surrounding Cosmo Canyon.

He said nothing, just stared at her from behind strands of ebony hair. She sighed and started walking again. Sephiroth strode ahead of them without pausing, scarcely recognising their presence. It had been like this since they'd left the waterfall. Both men preferred to travel in silence and after a few failed attempts at conversation she'd stopped trying, realising it was unwelcome. Still... the apparent gloom surrounding both of them was unsettling, to say the least. She couldn't blame them though, how she felt about this paled in comparison to what they must be going through. So she kept her mouth shut and followed their lead as they walked in brooding silence.

As they approached the long,winding steps hewn into the cliff-face that led to the village, however, Tifa spoke up tentatively.

"Em... Do you think it's such a good idea to just stroll in? Considering who we have with us it might cause a bit of a panic, if you know what I mean..." She trailed off when both men turned to look at her, their expressions cool. She stared back, bemused at the un-nerving resemblance.

The silence stretched taut between them as they considered what she'd said.

"Perhaps you're right. I'll wait here while you and Vincent go and ah, smooth things over." 

Tifa set off up the steps, getting a little irritated by the treatment she was getting. Like she was a silly little girl who didn't understand what was happening and was therefore beneath their notice. More then ever she was convinced they were family; it was impossible to have two different men so alike in looks and their brooding, distainful arrogance for them not to be related. 

They were met at the entrance by the same guard who'd refused them entrance to the Canyon when they first came there, before realising they were friends of Nanaki. He looked at them with an expression of undesguised suspicion as they approached, relaxing when he recognised Tifa.

"Ms. Lockhart? Is that you?" Tifa smiled inwardly with relief, this would be easier then she'd thought.

"Yes, it's me. And this is Vincent Valentine, also a friend of Nanaki's."

The guard eyed Vincent. "Yes, Nanaki mentioned you. I presume you are looking for him?"

"Yes" said Tifa, taking the lead when it became clear that Vincent wasn't going to answer. " Would it be possible for us to come in and see him?"               

"Of course! Nanaki told me that any friends of his were always welcome here. I believe you'll find him in the observatory. I'm sure you know where that is from your previous visits." 

Tifa nodded her thanks as she walked past. Vincent followed her up the steps leading to the observatory, his cloak caressing the red hued rock. They passed through the weapons shop, Tifa sparing a smile and a cheery "hello" for the sole attendant at the register. 

 Spotting the ladder that lead to the observatory Tifa motioned for Vincent to go up first, remembering Sephiroth's remarks earlier about having a nice view. She glanced around, making sure no one else was going to take advantage of her short skirt before following him up.                        

Pulling herself up out of the hole made in allowance for the ladder she saw the door to the observatory swing shut and Vincent nowhere in sight. She hurried after him, pushing open the door and throwing her arms around Nanaki's neck, who was waiting inside.

"Nanaki! It's so good to see you!" She flashed one of her trademark smiles in real happiness before releasing him and settling for scratching his ear. He settled back on his hind paws, sitting as he purred deep in his throat, the sound revertebrating through out his body. 

"It is good to see you too Tifa. To what may I owe the pleasure of this visit?" Tifa glanced at Vincent who was standing motionless to the side, after already nodding his hello to Nanaki. He cleared his throat loudly, signalling that Tifa should explain.

She fidgeted, her hands clasped behind her back as she thought of what to say.

"Well.. It's a funny story, actually." She gave a nervous laugh. " You see.. Sephiroth is back. But he's not evil!" she finished hastily as Nanaki sprang to his feet. He looked at her questioningly.

"Not evil?"

"No. Look I know how strange this sounds but I honestly believe that he has changed... and we need your help. Something's happened... " She trailed off, unsure of how to phrase Lucrecia's behaviour.

"Something's happened? You  mean something of more importance then Sephiroth returning and being... ah, "not evil",  as you put it?"

"Lucrecia attacked me." Vincent spoke up, abruptly.

"Attacked you? but that means... "Nanaki furrowed his brow.

"She exists on this plane, yes. I assume you have an idea of how that came to pass."

"But... we destroyed her."

Vincent shook his head. " Nanaki, I'm still here and Cloud's still here. Sephiroth was not killed. It is naive to think that she could truly be gone... In face I'm surprised that the thought of her return hadn't already crossed your mind."

"It has." He said, shortly. " Where is Sephiroth now?"

"Waiting for us outside Cosmo Canyon. We didn't think it wise to bring him inside without warning you first."

"Prudent. When you say changed, what exactly do you mean?" 

Tifa spoke up, feeling more qualified to answer that then Vincent.

"He was under Jenova's control before. He's not anymore. Nanaki,I've spent the last few days in his presence. In that time he's saved my life more then once. Please believe me when I say he will not do anyone harm!"

Nanaki studied the ground with a pensive expression on his face. " Tifa I would love to take your word at face value but in light of these new events I'm not sure whether he's acting of his own free will or not. Why would she leave Sephiroth alone and instead sought after Lucrecia? It doesn't make sense."

 Tifa stayed silent for a moment, thinking over what had been said. "You.. You're talking about Jenova, aren't you?"

" She is the logical choice for what could be behind this Tifa. Do you remember  nothing of what Sephiroth and Hojo told us last year? I'll let him come inside but make no mistake, I'll be watching him very carefully."

She smiled then, subdued. "I suppose that's the best I could have hoped for. Shall we go get him then?"

"I will. You two must be tired from your journey, why don't you make yourselves at home?"

"I am not tired."

Nanaki nodded his assent, taking it to mean Vincent wanted to accompany him."Alright. We'll be back in a couple of minutes Tifa."

They left as Tifa sank into a chair, resting her head on her arms. This revelation seemed to have drained all the energy from her. Nanaki's words rang hollowly through out her head. What if Sephiroth really was under Jenova's control and this was all a ploy to... _To what? Don't be ridiculous Tifa! If he really was doing her bidding why is he with you? Wouldn't he have more important things to do? _She reassured herself, trying to ignore the discord that had taken root in her mind. Trying to ignore the little voice whispering that maybe he was just killing time with her, or that maybe this was all part of a plan she knew nothing of. She couldn't begin to fathom the workings of Jenova's mind...

_Why Lucrecia? Where was the logic behind it? _

She was saved from answering by the arrival of Nanaki and Vincent, complete with Sephiroth.

Vincent returned to his place by the door, sinking into the shadows that fell there. Sephiroth stood in the middle of the room, his body stiff and radiating awkwardness, though he was trying hard not to show it. Nanaki paced.

"Did you have any trouble getting in?" Tifa said, more out of a need to head off the silence that was  threatening to envelop them then out of any real curiousity.

"The guard was a little... surprised at his appearance, to say the least, but I spoke with him and he's agreed to keep it to himself until I've had a chance to meet with the Elders."

"Oh. Well... that's good then."

Tifa started to drum her fingers on the table, uncomfortable, and she wasn't sure why.

Vincent lurked. 

Sephiroth stared at the wall. 

Nanaki paced. 

The noise started to fill the room, its existance dependant on the _tap tap tap of her fingers. _

"Must you do that?" Sephiroth spoke up out of sheer irritation.

Tifa let her hand fall to the table. "Well how about we decide what to do about this then? Anyone up for that? I'm pretty sure you'd actually have to talk to each other though and I'm not sure if any of you could handle _that radical concept."               _

Sephiroth opened his mouth, perhaps to snap back at her but Vincent cut across him. 

"You have made your point Tifa. We need to decide what we're going to do about this and if we're going to alert the others."

"Let's not worry about that for now. I'd like to know exactly how it is you returned here Sephiroth and what happened in that cave with Lucrecia, Vincent."  Nanaki settled back on his haunches awaiting their answers. "Sephiroth perhaps you could begin."

"There really isn't that much to tell; I awoke in the Northern Crater 4 months ago without a scratch on me."

"And Jenova?"

Sephiroth looked at him directly. "She hasn't spoken to me since before I fought Cloud in the Northern Crater."

"I see. What did you do after you awoke?"

"I left there for Nibelheim." He shrugged. "I wanted to understand fully  the creature who'd effectively destroyed everything I was and the records on her were in the mansion."

"And then you met Tifa?"

"Yes. The general population noticed someone was in the mansion. They sent me to find out who."

"And you found Sephiroth there."

"Well... Sephiroth found me."

"And what happened next?"

"We fought. He pinned me and then he let me go." She glanced at Sephiroth who was studying the floor with great interest. "That was the first sign that he'd changed. He didn't kill me and he could have easily."

It continued like this for awhile, Sephiroth and Tifa alternating in telling what happened next, though leaving out certain information neither particularly wanted to divulge. Coming at last to when they arrived at Lucrecia's waterfall Nanaki turned to Vincent.

"Well?"

"What is it that you want to know?" Vincent said with just the faintest hint of annoyance.

"Tell me about Lucrecia. Did you notice anything strange about her behaviour leading up to this?"

Vincent sighed and pushed himself away from the wall, pacing as Nanaki had earlier. "She was cruel. Malicious. Mocking. Sometimes when she spoke I could see someone else peeking out behind her eyes."

"When did this start?"

He frowned. "About 4 months ago." Tifa resisted the urge to look at Sephiroth. Nanaki did not.

"Interesting. But she didn't attack you before this. Do you have any idea why?"

"No. I don't." He shut his eyes, visualising the cave. "One second she was a ghost, as Tifa put it, the next she was solid. As I understand it she could do this at will and did so when I wasn't there. "

"So why did she stay there? Why did she wait until then? And why did she attack you? She could have simply left one day when you weren't there. But she chose to do it in this fashion."

"It was a message." Sephiroth spoke up. All eyes in the room turned to him. "I can only assume she knew I was coming and that I would recognise her for what she was."

"It seems like she wanted to be recognised."

Sephiroth nodded in affirmation at Tifa. "Yes. But on her own terms."

"From what we know of Jenova that makes sense. She bides her time, does things when they suit her. Now, I would suggest that if we're going to contact anyone it should be Cloud."

Tifa jumped half out of her seat. She felt Sephiroth's eyes on her, his gaze unreadable. "Why? Why do we have to talk to him of all people?!"

"Because, Tifa, he carrys Jenova cells. It is possible Jenova might seek him out and try and control again. That cannot be allowed to happen." Nanaki explained patiently.

"Oh."

"Well no time like the present. Shall we call him?"

"I will." Tifa pulled out her PHS and dialed Cloud's number automatically. Her heart had started to beat at an unnatural pace. The PHS rang and rang but there was no answer. After a minute of ringing she pressed the hang up button.

"There's no answer."

"Damn." Tifa stared at Nanaki, wide eyed. He _never swore._

"Does anyone know where he might be?"

"He's in The City of the Ancients. He went there about 6 months ago."

"Then we must go there to find him. Tifa ring Cid and ask him to pick us up in The Highwind at the soonest possible convenience ,if you will."

Tifa punched in Cid's number in compliance. He picked up on the third ring.

"What?"

"Cid? It's Tifa."

"$%£" Tifa, how are ya?"

She smiled at the sound of his voice. She'd missed Cid up to the point where she was glad even to hear his constant swearing.

"I'm fine Cid but we have a situation on our hands. I need you to pick us up at Cosmo Canyon as soon as you can. We need to go to the City of the Ancients."

"Situation? What the ^£$% is goin' on now?Why do you need to go to that freaky place?Who the hell is with ya? Not that spikey haired little %^&* !?"

Tifa hesitated."No Cid, not Cloud. He's in the City. Look I promise I'll explain everything to you when you get here."

"Alright Tifa but I'm not a £$%^&*' taxi. I'll be there in the mornin'."

"Thanks Cid. We'll see you then, take care." She hung up. "Cid's going to come by in the morning with the highwind."

"Alright." Nanaki rose to his feet. "I'm going to speak to The Elders. Sephiroth? Vincent? If you want to come you're welcome. Now, I'll arrange for you to stay at the Inn free of charge. The facillities of the Canyon are at your disposal , but make sure you get a good nights sleep, we need to get an early start tomorrow."

_Author's note: I'm so,so,so sorry this took so long to write. I have no excuse but pure laziness. I'm ashamed of me! Well I hope you like it and don't find it too boring. _

_Thanks for everyone whose reviewed so far and feel free to review again. Later._


End file.

Final Fantasy VII, Adventure, Romance